The Trials and Tribulations of Central High School
by IvyShort
Summary: Title DID change! All our favorite characters from FMA are in high school! You know you're curious. Royai, Havbecca, Lingfan, AlMei, EdWin, DennyxMaria, GraciaxMaes- everything canon, of course!
1. Confusing halls and Sparkling eyes

**Yes, another multi chapter story. This one contains Royai, AlMei, EdWin, HavocxRebecca, DennyxMaria, GraciaxHughes, (anything I'm missing?)**

**Topic: FMA in a modern American style high school. Public, of course. Ooooooh, this is gonna be fuuuuuuun. **

**Dunno if they're in Amestris or the US yet. I'll figure that out later. No alchemy, just the charries being their normal selves. Only in teenage form. *evil grin***

**Many thanks to sunarose. I love her. **

**They're going to swear- it IS high school. Nothing major, but the occasional 'damn' and 'hell' and such.**

Central City Public High School was a whirlwind of activity, filled to the brim with all kinds of people- the teachers had as much variety as the students. In the midst of the early morning chaos, Mei Chang stood in the doorway, a foot shorter and much more lost than anyone else.

"Excuse..Could…um…Where's…No…Wait! Please!...Will..Ah…Uh…" No matter what she did, no one paused to look at her. Maybe her thoughts had been right. Maybe homeschooling was a better idea than high school.

"Are you lost?" Mei whirled around on the ball of her foot, accidentally smacking the newcomer- a blond boy with golden eyes- in the nose with one of her braids.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" He just shrugged and smiled.

"That's okay, it's no big deal. You look confused, though. Are you lost?"

"Could you please tell me where Mrs. Dorsche's office is? I'm supposed to get my schedule there." She said sheepishly.

It's not too far from here. C'mon, I'll take you. What's your name?"

"I'm Mei Chang."

"Alphonse Elric- call me Al." Mei smiled, relieved. This Alphonse was so kind.

Clutching her map and schedule, Mei stepped from the relatively calm office back into the chaos of the hallway. She tugged on one of her braids and looked at the map. Room 156 was either right or left, and she wasn't sure which it was.

"What do you have first, Mei? Maybe we have a class together." She jumped.

"Alphonse! You didn't have to wait for me!" He smiled again- it was a nice smile, Mei decided.

"I pride myself on being a gentleman. What sort of gentleman would I be if I didn't wait for you?" Mei blushed a bit. "So what do you have?" She handed him her schedule. He scanned it, then pulled out his own. "I think we have everything except 3rd period together! What do you play in band?"

"Vibes and bells. What about you, Alphonse?" She was led to English by a happy Alphonse, and Mei discovered she was happy too. Maybe high school wouldn't be so bad, if she had Alphonse next to her, guiding the way.

"I swear, the freshman get smaller every year. Look at the girl with braids next to Fullmetal's brother. She's even smaller than he is." Roy half listened o Jean's rants- the size of freshman really didn't concern him unless they were trying out for sports, and he had a feeling a little shrimp girl wasn't going out for the football team. In his shallow contemplations, his eyes wandered around the paused on Riza Hawkeye's table for a second longer than anyone else. She and her friends were laughing. What were they laughing at? A joke about him, no doubt. Or maybe all his friends- they weren't exactly on friendship terms with Riza, Gracia, Maria and Rebecca.

"Oi, chief, you're staring again." He felt his arm being punched by Jean. Roy looked at him, punching right back. Havoc rubbed his arm. "Why them, anyway? There are prettier girls." He cocked his head in the direction of the next table over. Roy glanced briefly. Leave it to Havoc to think of the cheerleaders. "I hear Solaris is into you, dude. Grab it." The dark haired head cheerleader gave him a flirtatious wave. Roy returned it with a halfhearted trademark smirk.

"Nah, there's no one prettier than my Gracia!" Maes boasted. Everyone else at the table groaned. Havoc gave him a sound thwack in the head.

"Maes, shut up. She's turned you down 12 times"

"Someday we'll settle down and have a lovely daughter named Elysia. She'll look just like her mother, charming smile and all." Maes was definitely the oddball at their table. Girls weren't just hot to him. A lot wondered about the sanity of the football team, keeping him around. But Roy had known Maes since 2th grade- he and Riza had been the only ones to talk to Roy when he was the new kid from the East.

"At least stop calling her 'your' Gracia, Maes, because she's not suddenly going to fall in love with you."

"But she'll be mine soon enough, so you might as well get used to it!"

"Shut up, Maes." Roy leaned back in his seat. Maes shut up and continued to stare at Gracia with a forlorn look on his face. She caught his eyes and blushed.

"So, Roy- if you're not going to jump on Solaris, I will. Last chance." Roy shrugged. He could get any girl on the cheerleading team- that's why he had a reputation of a womanizer- but he didn't want any of those empty headed girls.

"Go ahead, Jean. There's nothing there, anyway."

"Makes her easy to please." Jean sauntered up to Solaris. _This will end badly. _ They exchanged a few words, and then she flipped him off and turned back to her friends. Jean returned, looking absolutely pitiful.

"The queen of lust has rejected you!" The entire table erupted in laughter. Solaris had been the last girl on cheer to reject Jean. Now, all 15 of them had turned him down- most multiple times.

The bell rang- lunch was over. Roy looked down at the remains of his lunch as he threw it away. Most was just garbage, but there was an entire apple untouched. Riza liked apples- he had never been especially fond of them. Whenever he used to go over to her house- before 6th grade, when their friendship had fallen apart- she had always been eating an apple, engrossed in some book. He had always crouched down next to her and read a page or two before she had snapped the book shut with a playful twinkle in her eye.

Yes, they had been inseparable. Even then they were opposites-she had been shy, but not afraid to stand up for herself and fight back, and he had been the charismatic kid who went with the flow. It had been an interesting friendship, though surprisingly, most of the time she followed him. Roy wasn't sure if he regretted caving into the teasing or not- it had been a trade, Riza for the friendship of everyone else. He went off to chemistry with a philosopher's thoughts.

A small group of freshman passed by- two blondes, two brunettes, and a redhead. Those were the weirdos. They spent lunch reading books backwards and shrieking at odd intervals. They passed, and Roy found himself staring into Riza's deep amber eyes. Damn, those things were scary. They sparkled when she smiled, though. That was nice.

**And there we have it. Tell me if you think they're OOC (I think Al and Mei are okay, but everyone else…**

**The freshman are me, Sunarose, Conifer, Heather (who is, at the moment, STILL not done with FMA and I'm going to rip her head off) and sunarose's friend- not sure if she had a fanfiction account… **

**And I still haven't gone to Japan, which means I still haven't met Arakawa, which means she still owns the rights to FMA. I own myself, though. DON'T FORGET THAT. **

**Please review….**


	2. Even More Confusing Relationships

**Yo! I asked sunarose which she wanted updated, and she said this, so that's that. **

**AND WTH? I have 5 favorites ALREADY (none ofg them are people I know?)! I love you guys. Now go love sunarose too.**

**So yea. Would you like the story of my life? I had written out this page long explanation of why I was mad at my padre, (Yay for foreign languages!) but my author's notes are already too long- I never seem to shut up. **

**FMA still isn't mine, because I am a unicorn fairy princess and not a cow with glasses.**

Ed was breathing heavily, trying desperately to think of a way to fake an injury while doing a plank.

"DOWN!" He collapsed gratefully. "Two minutes for water, everyone! If you aren't back in that time, pushups!" There was a mad rush for the drinking fountain. Ed heaved himself up, his body screaming protests. "ELRIC!" He groaned and turned to face Mrs. Curtis. "You left this here yesterday." She said, flicking one of her micro braids out of her eyes and handing him his science homework.

"Oh, thanks Mrs. Curtis."

"You're good at science, aren't you? You only made a few mistakes." Ed looked down at the crumpled mess. There were streaks of red pen across it- Izumi Curtis had corrected his science homework.

"Next time, try a little harder. Don't flunk just because it's cool." She paused. "And cut your hair. If it's long enough to braid, it belongs on a girl." Ed twitched and resisted the urge to flip her off. He wanted to live outside of detention, not die in it. Izumi turned back to the panting class. "Water break's OVER, people! Time for drills!"

"LanFan, I'm huuuungryyy…" Ling whined.

"You should have brought food, then." LanFan said, biting into her sandwich and shrugging.

"Do you have any food?"

"Not unless you want carrots." She said around a mouthful.

"Gimme gimme!" He bounced up and down, holding out his hands.

"But you hate carrots!"  
"So? I'm hungry!" With a sigh, LanFan reached into her lunch box and tossed the carrot sticks at Ling. He didn't eat them, of course- he never did.

"Ugh, LanFan, these are even more foul than yesterday." She barely even looked at him, but for the second she did, she saw the girl several yards behind Ling with black hair and six long braids.

"Chang." She mutters. As if hearing her name, Mei scans the cafeteria, spotting Ling and LanFan almost instantly. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth curled into an unsightly scowl. She let out a small huff and turned back to her lunch.

"Damn, you're right. What's that brat doing here?"

"Pleeeeease, Gracia!"

"How many times do I have to say no, Maes?"

"As many as it takes for you to say say yes!" Gracia sighed and looked over at Maria, who shrugged apologetically. Gracia looked back at Maes. He was sweet, really, but she knew if she caved, all hell would break loose. Riza would not be very happy with another tie to Mustang, and Maria was craving an excuse to drop a few hints for Denny, and Rebecca…

Well, no one ever knew about her.

Maybe this would be a good idea, though. Through all Riza's insults and glares at Roy, if sh wasn't paying enough attention to her actions there would be a softness in her eyes when Roy was mentioned. Those two had history. Riza wouldn't tell anyone, but Gracia was positive about that. Besides, Gracia compensated, Maes was ridiculously persistent, and chances were that he'd keep asking until she finally caved. Gracia would have to go through the entire process every week- heck, sometimes twice a week- to get to the same conclusion. Her heart said yes, her brain said no. Today, against all her brain's protests, she finally caved to her teenage heart.

"Alright, fine Maes." The look of exhilaration in his face was nice. At least he contained his whoop of joy.

"So are you free Friday? We could go see a movie, or have dinner, or walk in the park, or-…"

"Calm down! Friday's great." He practically leapt out of his skin.

"So what do you want to do?" Gracia shrugged.

"Surprise me."

"I'll pick you up at 6!"

"Do you even know where I live?"

"Oh…Nope!" Gracia giggled. She had a feeling that even if the date itself was awful, she was going to have a great time.

"You did WHAT?" Riza screamed into her phone.

"Hell Riza, I said yes. It's not the end of the world." Riza looked around for something to smack her head against. It couldn't make her budding headache any worse. A knock on the door pounded into her head.

"Ugh, Gracia, I have to go. He's here." She could almost hear Gracia's smirk.

"Good luck with your date!" The line went dead before Riza could object. _Not a date. It'll never be a date._ She put her phone in her pocket and yanked open the door, scowling.

"Hey Riz." At least Roy didn't try to flatter the hell out of her like he did with every other girl he came across. Ho knew better than that- a black eye or a broken nose came with every sickly sweet compliment.

"So why are you here today?"

"Chemistry, like always."

"He'll be out in a minute." She disappeared for a second, reappearing with an apple and a calculus textbook. _So she still liked them. _

"What college are you thinking about?" She took a bite out of her apple and opened her textbook.

"I was actually considering the military. I want to make a difference." He sat there, staring at the cover of his chemistry textbook, wondering if Riza was in a good mood, or trying to gather some decent blackmail material.

"That's very noble of you." She whispered. "But they're never going to accept you with that GPA." He was shocked.

"I-I'll work on that." The ghost of a smile tugged at her lips.

"RIZA!" They both jumped, and the half eaten apple tumbled from Riza's hand. Roy noticed the color drain out of her already pale face. Berthold Hawkeye stormed into the kitchen, his face the color of a tomato. His fist was curled around several papers. When he spoke again, his voice was low and dangerous. "I thought we agreed not to think about the military. Riza." _Shit. _Roy thought. He hated it when stuff like this happened. If he stayed silent, Riza would hate him. If he spoke up, there would be a week or two that he wouldn't get the help he needed in chemistry.

"No, we didn't decide that." Her voice was the same as her father's. "You decided that for me."

"The military is not an option, Riza." Roy clenched his teeth. _Speak? Don't speak?_ His mouth decided for him.

"Why isn't it?" Riza looked over at him, surprised and relieved- he knew she had planned to fight this war alone, and he wasn't going to let her. There was a tiny shake of her head, and as much as she wanted the help, her eyes told him not to proceed. _You need his help to pass Chemistry. Don't sacrifice that for me._ Did she really, actually still care about him?

"Roy, this is a family matter. Stay out of it." He sat down and sighed, heeding Riza's warning. Her eyes whispered a silent thank you.

**So there we have it! A very confusing relationship… Tell me if it's too confusing. Please. What I think is happening (lol, I'm the author and I don't even know for sure) is that Roy and Riza were really close, then he was a jerk, and then he felt bad, but she still kinda hates him for it, but she's kinda beginning to realize that he'd never ever do that again and he feels really bad about it and stuff. And of course, he's fallen in love with her, and she's not so sure if she has or not. XD**


	3. Wrenches

**Ah, chapter 3! YAY, I'M NOT A COMPLETE FAILURE!**

**Probably the only reason I'm updating today is because Conifer gave me her cold, which turned out to be a 101 degree fever. I struggled through the school day yesterday, and had to skip tutoring 4****th**** graders and jump rope. I wanted to go to jump, too… I was getting a new speed rope sized. *sighs* So no school for Ivy today! :D**

**I still love Conifer, don't worry, and there is an upside to this- I saw every character in Ouran, FMA, and InuYasha in my fireplace. It was pretty cool. **

Riza was completely mystified by a certain Roy Mustang. As much as she tried to fight it, as much as she tried to deny it by being as mean and indifferent as possible, something about him made even her worst day a little bit better. She didn't like his smirk- it made her think of all his girlfriends over the past 6 years- but his genuine smile made her smile too. He had never smirked at her, which made Riza feel special and sacred- every other girl in school had been smirked at at least once. Maybe it was the fact that if he had smirked at her, there would have been an injury in his near future.

Even so, considering the fact that he hadn't really had a girlfriend all through last year… Roy Mustang, who could win over any girl with a few words, hadn't had a girlfriend… Riza dismissed her fantasies. There was no way he felt bad about that. No way at all.

"Damn Mrs. Curtis…" Ed muttered, walking next to Winry and Al on the way home.

"Ed, don't be rude. She's a nice lady." Winry said, her nose in a book.

"You don't have her for PE. She steals your homework and grades it!"

"You dropped it, and she made a few corrections, brother." Ed growled and jammed his headphones into his ears. Winry sighed, grabbed his ipod, and turned down the volume.

"HEY!"

"I can only put up with that crap if I can't hear it, Ed."

"It's not crap!"

"Yup, it is."

"Shut up."

"Make me." Winry held his ipod teasingly. "I'll give this back when you cut your hair, Ed."

"NOT FAIR!"

"You really should cut it, Brother."

"Didn't one of the teachers think he was a girl?" Winry asked casually.

"Mm-hmm." Ed looked at Winry and Al, twitching.

"I AM NOT A GIRL!"

"With your hair, yes you are." Al sighed. This was going to be a long argument. Ed and Winry fought like at old, married couple.

"SHUT UP, WINRY!"

"And your height- what a disgrace. No wonder you're angry all the time. I mean, AL, your little brother, is taller than you."

"Please don't bring me into this…" Al's pleas went unnoticed in the bickering.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MIGET SO SMALL THAT FLEAS ARE THE SIZE OF ELEPHANTS?"

"You. Maybe if you drank your milk like Granny told you to, there wouldn't be the issue of height."  
"I AM NOT DRINKING THAT LIQUID SECRETED BY A COW!"

"Do you want to stay a midget for your entire life?" Al shrank back. This was not going to end well.

"I AM NOT A MIDGET!"

"YOU'RE 5'1" AND A SOPHMORE!" Ed lunged forward in an attempt to throttle Winry. In a flash, she had a wrench in her hands and swung it at Ed with all her might.

"WHERE'D YOU GET THAT WRENCH?"

"I SAVE IT FOR STUFF LIKE THIS!"

"AL! SAVE ME!" Al sighed and watched Ed sprint as fast as he could. Sadly, Ed couldn't evade the wrench. He never could.

"COME BACK HERE, ED!" Al winced as he saw Ed bleed, and sucked in a breath when he realized Mei was coming over after dinner to work on homework. He'd never live this one down, and Mei would never talk to him again.

"…Why'd you invite me?" Kain whimpered. "I don't even know you guys."

"Well, as a sort of insurance." Jean said casually, shrugging.

"What?"

"You see, Riza, Rebecca, Gracia and Maria see you as a sort of puppy dog. If we can sic you on them if we get caught, there's less of a chance of injury." Kain looked around desperately for an escape.

"I don't want any part of this…"

"Look dude, we need you here. Do this, and you will be rewarded." Roy Mustang said as casually as Jean. Kain gulped- the punishments if he didn't do this… That was what worried him.

"Do I have to?" The rest of the group nodded. "God forgive me…" Kain muttered. "I'm actually going to help…"

"Alright!" Maes punched the air. "I get to see what Gracia likes to do to make our date amazing!"

"Maes, shut it." Roy growled. Maes did.

"Operation Spy-on-the-Hated is now underway!" Havoc said gleefully. Kain looked around at the others- he almost wasn't sure if they believed they hated the "hated" It was in their eyes.

**Fuery's so cute… I needed an excuse to bring him in. **** That was a bit short… with lotsa dialogue, sorry. I just felt lazy.**

**Ciao! REVIEW!**


	4. Perilous Grass

**Sorry about the late update! I had about 650 words typed, and then I got banned from the compy. You see, I didn't turn the porch light off. 0.o**

**You should prolly get used to really long, rambly author's notes. Hehe, I like them. I like this chapter. **

**So I update! A bit of silly here in this chapter. Perilous grass is exactly what it sounds like. You should be scared. Riza is confused, and Fuery faints! Poor Fuery. I should leave Fuery out of my stories, but he's too gosh darn cute! 3**

**Anyway, on with the story! **

Kain couldn't believe himself. Going along with this was one thing, but now he was allowing himself to be boosted up to spy on Riza and her friends. He was pretty sure this was breaking a law. If only Granny was there to talk him out of it.

Yet here he was, standing on Breda's back, peering into Riza Hawkeye's window.

"They aren't doing anything. Can I please go home?" He begged. Maes took no heed of the plea and began asking a torrent of questions.

"Is Gracia there? What's she wearing? Did she do her hair? Is she beautiful? No, never mind, she's ALWAYS beautiful…" Jean sighed, put his hand over Maes' mouth. He looked over at Denny and grinned.

"What about Maria?" Jean asked. Denny turned bright red and began to stammer, trying to hide his curiousity.

"Why doesn't someone else go?" You all want to see more than I do." Kain looked around at Maes, Jean, and Denny. He then remembered Roy, who had been oddly silent through the entire conversation.

"I can't support any of those buckets of lard!" Breda wheezed, his face in the dirt.

"Hey! If any of us are buckets of lard, it's you, Heymans!" Breda groaned and Fuery lightly hopped off of his back. Roy was still silent, and he was now about six feet away from everyone else.

"What's with Heymans? You know I hate it!"

"Heymans Heymans Heymans!" Jean sang, momentarily forgetting that the entire conversation had to be conducted in whispers. The window flew open and the guys bolted- all except for Kain, who collapsed onto the ground in a dead faint.

"YOU BASTARDS!" Rebecca screamed after the quickly disappearing figures. She turned to Riza. "I told you!" Riza shrugged. Maria sighed and nimbly hopped out the window, landing with a soft thump. Gracia followed with a much less graceful descent.

"Poor thing, he's fainted!" Gracia knelt down beside the sophomore, her motherly instinct kicking in.

"Throw him in the alley." Rebecca said gravely. There was a fire in her eyes.

"Becca! How could you be so cruel?" Gracia cried, clutching Fuery's limp head to her chest.

"He's with them, Gracia."

"Even I say that's evil, Becca." Maria said casually. Riza immediately went on alert- not all the bops were gone. There were whispers coming from the alleyway. She left poor Fuery in Gracia and Maria's capable hands, motioned towards the back fence and stole over, using the argument to mask her footsteps. Riza hoisted herself to balance on the top of the fence- to her delight, Jean Havoc and Heymans Breda were crouched as low as they could.

Inwardly Riza was glad it was just those two. As much fun as punching Roy's lights out was, she always felt guilty afterwards.

"Hello boys." The look of terror on their faces was priceless. "Who wants their ass kicked first?"

BREAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKK (THIS BETTER WORK)

"Are YOU afraid of perilous grass?" Riza looked up at the freshman with dirty blonde hair warily.

"Go away."

"But are you?"

"C'mon Pezcle. Let's leave her alone. We'll go ask THAT table if they're afraid." A brunette said, grabbing the blonde and dragging her over to a different table.

"But! No! Taaam! She didn't answer my question!"

"What the hell…?" She muttered. The freshmen got stranger every year. Elric last year was plenty. This was almost too much. 'Pezcle', the brunette, and a redhead in a patchwork skirt skipped by a few seconds later, humming and making explosion noises.

"Did they just…" Gracia stared at the trio, flabbergasted by the experience.

"I have no clue, Gracia. None whatsoever.

**The true dangers of perilous grass can never be explained. But fear it you must.**

**Review! Next we go back to Ling, Lanfan, and Mei and a bit of EdWinnish fluff. Sorta. Well, if you squint.**


	5. Fake Nerves

**Well, here I am again. To all who ran the Abbotsford tournament: Great tournament, nice people, no competition AT ALL, and NEEEVER put a mandatory one hour camp after 6 hours of jump rope. Your competitors are all dead, and they want to socialize, not jump. (We all love jump rope to death, but seriously. Six hours is not a walk in the park.) I ate two sandwiches for lunch and I was hungry half an hour later. **

**During a speed relay, my teammate dropped his rope, did a half turn, a double under and then started speed again. It was hilarious. **

**Just so you know, this isn't going to have some big plot or anything. They might get the principal fired…**

**AND CONGRATULATIONS TO HEATHER, WHO HAS (FINALLY) FINISHED FMA! **

**And thank you, sunarose, for updating. Good job.**

"Mei Chang. Why're you here?" Ling asked, every inch of the authoritative junior he could be radiating out towards the pint sized freshman.

"I go to school here, Ling Yao." Mei said innocently.

"Yea right. You're not old enough for high school.

"I got bumped up a few grades. Maybe the company isn't as solidly yours as you think."

"It's mine." He said dangerously, narrowing his already squinty eyes at Mei. She swept her bangs out of her eyes and smiled.

"Not if I give you competiton." She said cheerfully before turning back to her friends. Ling couldn't believe that she looked up to him and followed him and Lanfan around like a lost puppy before the move. Ling looked back at Mei and could've sworn he saw a small, black and white head poking itself out of her flowered backpack.

"Alright Lanfan, that does it! We're studying tonight!" Ling declared. Lanfan sighed. "You're coming over to work on English tonight, right?"

"Only if you want me to." She said in a small voice.

"That's silly. Of course I want you to!" Lanfan hid her blush.

BREAKKKKKKK

"I just don't get it. Maes is so sweet, and he begs that I go on a date with him, and then he spies on us! I mean, he gave me flowers today before school and stuff, but STILL. I think I'll keep our date, though. He's just so kind." Riza listened to Gracia ramble- there was no doubt Maes and Gracia were going to be the couple-month, year, decade, century, whatever.

"He can't be all roses and butterflies, Gracia." Riza interrupted.

"Shut up, Riza. You're the one who fell for Roy Mustang, the guy with twenty girls."

"I did not!"

"You totally did. He comes over like every day-…"

"For tutoring from Dad!" Riza interrupted. Gracia continued, ignoring the seething anger.

"He's coming for thanksgiving, you and him have staring contests at lunch practically every day…"

"Staring contests of hate. And it's tradition, Gracia. Roy's come with his sisters and aunt for thanksgiving since third grade."

"But that's the point! You could have stopped the tradition, but _you didn't!_ You stopped being friends in fifth grade!"

"Sixth."

"Whatever. You get my point."

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

BREAAAAAAAAKKKKK 

Winry was looking at the catalogs again. Not clothes. Never clothes. She couldn't be a normal teenage girl and look at clothes. She had to look at catalogs from home depot and Power Tools R Us. Ed had the nagging feeling that Winry was going to ask for his leg at any moment. As if taking her cue, Winry looked up with innocent, pleading eyes.

"Ed, could I see your leg for a sec?"

"No." Ed returned to his homework.

"Pleaaaase? Only for a minute! If I can figure out how to connect nerve endings to really thin electric wire- nerves are like electricity, right? Then you could move your toes and stuff!" Ed sighed and tossed his leg at Winry, who squealed in delight and grabbed her screwdriver. _It was always better after she tampered with it, anyway. _He reasoned with himself. Last time he had gone to get it adjusted, the doctor had looked at his leg and handed it back, telling him to adjust it himself. Winry had, and it felt better when she did it versus the doctors and specialists and all those people who were supposed to.

"Kids! Dinner!" Winry and Ed looked up at the same moment, both hearing Pinako's voice. Ed immediately stood at the thought of food, forgetting that he only had one leg at the moment. There was a spectacular crash and Ed sat fuming on the living room floor, rubbing his nose.

"C'mon, you dummy." Winry smiled and held out her hand. Ed took it and let her support his left side. Together they slowly made their way to the dining room, supporting each other.

"Alphonse, are Winry and Edward dating?" Mei whispered as they passed.

"No, not yet." Mei sighed.

"They would be such a cute couple."

"Brother can't muster up the courage to ask her out." Mei giggled.

BREAK

"Dammit, where'd it go?" Riza tore through her backpack desperately searching for her honors society hours. "Damn! It's due tomorrow!" She was frantic, nearing panic when the doorbell rang and shocked her back to reality. "What a time, Roy. Bold cheeky devil, he's got nerve showing up here." Her quiet rants and empty threats turned into a scowl as the door revealed the unfortunate star athlete himself.

"Ah, hi Riza…" He mumbled, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"What do you want?" She snapped. He grimaced.

"See if I could get some chemistry help after last week." He said, grimacing.

"He's not going to. You know how much he hates the military." He ran his fingers through his already messy black hair, biting his lip. He opened his mouth to speak, faltered, and tried again. This time is was like his mouth was on hyperdrive.

"I''sanidiotand…" Riza cut him off.

"At least you had the good sense to run like hell." Roy let out a dry chuckle and nodded.

"Havoc's an idiot."

"That's rich, coming from you."

"Hey!"

"And you don't deny it."

"Well, I'm not as stupid as Havoc and Breda."

"Fair point." There was a sudden gust of November wind and Roy shuddered involuntarily. Riza sighed.

"Come on in." Roy looked at her and smiled.

"I'm forgiven?"

"Why not? Gracia is all fluttery over Maes, Maria and Denny have been all googly at each other all day, and even Rebecca seems soft. What choice do I have?" He grinned. Riza looked at her backpack and its contents strewn all over the floor and grimaced, rushing in to conceal the mess.

"What happened, Riza?"

"Oh, I can't find my honors society hours." She said casually. He knelt down next to her and picked up her reading book.

"Let me help." She smiled gratefully.

"Thanks."

"And if we don't find it, we'll be put on probation together!" He said cheerfully.

"You're in honors society?"

"My grades are better than you think!"

**So there you go! Well, blueberry pie, a new freezer, and a pair of waterproof gloves later, you get an update!  
Review and tell me what you think**


	6. It's SNOWING!

**4:56pm on Sunday. Depressed that my friends are gone and feeling a bit sick after all the truffles I ate this weekend. Woof. **

**4:58pm on Monday. I have pocky and it is snowing. Happy. Veeeery happy.**

Roy sat in detention, leaning back in his chair, amusing himself with a pencil. The door opened to reveal a grumpy looking Ed Elric, soaking wet and clutching his prosthetic leg. His braid was disheveled and his leg looked a bit mangled. Roy whistled through his teeth. Rumor was that his friend- girlfriend, in Roy's opinion- had made his leg practically from scratch and screamed at him whenever he scratched it.

Ed ignored the stares and whispers as he reattached his leg and limped over to a desk. Mr. Scar, the AP history teacher, didn't even look up from the papers he was grading. Scar was an appropriate surname for the man. He had a large, X shaped scar across his face that crossed at the bridge of his nose. He always wore long sleeve shirt to conceal the intricate tattoo on his right arm. Mr. Scar was an imposing figure- there were so many rumors about his mysterious past that most students accepted that he had been arrested and placed in the witness protection program. Hence the surname Scar.

"Oi, Fullmetal, what are you here for?" Roy whispered.

"Some freshman called me short." Ed growled. Roy chuckled.

"So what'd you do?"

"Does the fact that he had to take a trip to the hospital tell you anything?" Roy grimaced and turned back to his pencil.

hueaHICHIHUSHXUCSMX:TKRUHIPCHIPBREAKKKK

"You have to read this book, Ling. It's not negotiable."

"But it's so booooring!"

"I don't care. You have to read it."

"It's in a foreign language!"

"It's in English, Ling."

"That was written in the 18th century!"

"19th."

"Whatever. I won't read it." Lanfan sighed. She knew what Ling wanted her to do. She wasn't going to cave. Nope. Until Ling gave her the puppy dog eyes.

"I'll give you my cake!" Damn. He was using the cake card. So that was why there had been a chocolate delicacy in the oven when she had arrived. Blackmail, was it? She growled.

"Fine, Ling. I'll read it." He whooped in joy and settled into the sofa. "In the time before steamships, or then more frequently than now, a stroller along the docks of any considerable sea-port would occasionally have his attention arrested by a group of bronzed mariners, man-of-war's men or merchant-sailors in holiday attire ashore on liberty. In certain instances they would flank, or, like a body-…" She was interrupted by an overdramatic gasp from Ling.

"LANFAN!" He shouted, obviously forgetting that she was right next to him. Lanfan cringed.

"Yes?"

"IT'S SNOWING!" Now it was Lanfan's turn to gasp melodramatically. Ling bounced up and grabbed her wrist, streaking towards the door.

"What about the book?" She squealed.

"To HELL with the BOOK! It's SNOWING!"

IHULDIG?XBKMU?UUKBREAK.

"_...Well, folks, the snow storm blew in late last night. School districts canceled include: Arton, Central, Liore…" _The message was on every radio station in the city. No school- not one- stayed open. Central couldn't handle any snow past three inches. Roy grinned sleepily and shut off his radio. Lanfan simply ignored her radio and curled up in a ball, contenting herself with the events of the last day. Riza got up and began to shovel, as did Ed and Al after a lot of Winry screaming at them. Mei, enchanted with the delicate flakes, simply sat on her bay window and stared out into the white flurries, idly cuddling her pet guinea pig Xiao Mei.

Mei loved the snow. Before moving to Central, she had seen little of it in the east where she had spent much of her childhood. She had only come to Central to go to school and therefore give Ling Yao competition. Mei wanted that company so bad that she would fight in an arena to get it. No one expected her to even try, but she would.

"Meeeei! Breakfast!" Mei's eyes lit up. She officially loved snow days.

"Come on, Xiao Mei! After breakfast, we'll go on a walk!" The little guinea pig squeaked happily and followed her best friend to the overwhelming aroma of breakfast.

HKXUDLERWQKDBREAAAAAK (these are my new breaks. Sorry, ~*~, ***, and o0o0o don't work…)

"Bye Mama! I have my phone!"

"Be careful, Mei-Mei!"

"I will!" Mei made sure her mother wasn't looking before wrapping Xiao Mei in a heavy wool scarf and tucking her in her coat pocket.

"Tell me when you're getting cold, Xiao Mei, and we'll go back." A muffled squeak gave the final goodbye to Mei's mother, and Mei walked into the wintry wonderland with a smiled on her face.

"Mei!" She heard a familiar voice shout.

"Hello Alphonse!" He waved and motioned for her to walk with him, Ed and Winry.

"Do you have any plans? We were going to go sledding at school if you want to come." Mei smiled and contained the urge to bounce up and down in wild excitement.

"I'd love to!"

"Wait, why's she coming! You can't just INVITE random people, Al!" Mei looked at Ed, hurt.

"Brother! It's MEI! She's not a random stranger!" Ed growled and kicked the sled. "I want her to come! She's my friend!" Alphonse was so kind. Mei hid a blush.

"Fine." Winry stopped in her tracks, looking stricken.

"Win, what's up? You spacing?" Ed asked nonchalantly, thrusting one of his hands into the pocket of his coat.  
"I forgot to weatherproof your leg. I forgot to weatherproof your leg! You're going to get frostbite and die and it'll be all my fault!" Ed swore quietly and looked at the teenage girl again. Winry had put her head in her hands, and you could hear muffled sobs.

"Crybaby." Ed muttered. Al shot him a look.

"Winry, Ed's not going to die." He said calmly, patting her on the back.

"Yes he is, and it'll be all my fault because I was SO STUPID AND FORGOT!" She yelled.

"Win, I'm still alive. C'mon, it'll be okay. Why don't we do it now? You guys go on ahead, and we'll catch up." Winry sniffled and looked at Ed. There was a sense of distress in his eyes that he glazed over with annoyance.

"Really Ed?" He nodded, and she dashed forward to hug him.

"Winry!"

TIPCIKBIP_EOVUMCPIBHXBPOVOHUHIRUMBITE

"Right girls, here's the plan. The boys are over there. We throw snowballs at them." Rebecca said, drawing a diagram in the snow.

"Real complicated, Becca. They won't suspect a thing." Riza said sarcastically.

"No, they won't, because they're just that stupid. Go grab Kain. I doubt he'll want to be a part of this." Maria nodded and walked over to the black haired teenager building a snowman. After a few murmurs, Kain grinned and handed Maria the head of his snowman, then began to hack apart the rest into small balls. Maria walked back.

"He wants to help." They grinned.

"Right, everyone! Get your hats on!" Riza sighed and donned the pith helmet that Rebecca had tossed her way. The pith helmet had ear flaps. Weird. She scooped some snow into her hands and packed it gleefully into a snowball. Squinting an eye shut, she aimed at the back of Roy's head.

A direct hit.

Roy whirled around as he felt the impact of the snow.

"Hey! You totally messed up my hair!" He yelled, scooping up snow and aiming at the culprit. Riza fell over in the snow, cackling madly. Roy faltered. He couldn't hit a GIRL.

_SMACK._

He could hit Rebecca, though. She hardly qualified as a girl.

NIPHC_PUR+TPULAXUIMTTUPITHKCUMT

The all out snowball war had multiplied. Snowballs whizzed through the air, hitting whoever was unfortunate enough to stand in their path.

"Alphonse!" Al looked at Mei, who was dodging snowballs nimbly but obviously scared out of her wits.

"Mei! C'mon, let's go!" She shook her head and dived desperately into the snow.

"I CAN'T FIND XIAO MEI!" Mei screamed, panic taking over. Al immediately went to help the poor girl. That guinea pig meant more to Mei than the world.

"It'll be okay, Mei. We'll find her." Mei sniffled.

"She's going to freeze!"

"Not if we find her first!" Mei giggled, then looked up.

"That's her scarf! Oh, Xiao Mei, I'm so sorry, I'm such a terrible person, now you're lost and cold and hopeless and…" Mei broke down sobbing, and Al patted her back gently.

"It's going to be okay, Mei. Don't worry."

BIPHRPCRPTUNEOUIHPC

"YOU have Xiao Mei?" Ed looked at his brother, who looked absolutely livid.

"Yup. Do guinea pigs taste good in soup?" Xiao Mei squeaked. She didn't like being in the hard fist of this boy, and she was going to make her opinions known. Opening her mouth, she bit down hard on the boy's hand. He yelped and she fell to the ground. Xiao Mei squealed in terror as a different hand snatched her out of the air.

This one was more gentle, and it belonged to a face she knew and liked. She purred and settled in his palm.

"Let's get you back to Mei, alright? She's worried sick." He said, stroking Xiao Mei's head with a finger.

HKUCRGPUITEOEWKEO HEULXU HAGANE NO OTAKUUUUU

The reaction when Mei opened the door and saw Xiao Mei was priceless and would warm even the coldest heart.

"XIAO MEI!" The small girl clutched the guinea pig and practically flew to Al. "Alphonse, thank you!" She repeated over and over, sobbing tears of joy.

**Well, that was fun. Tuesday, 12:26pm, NO SCHOOL TODAY! I think I'll go eat lunch now.**

**Review, please. Even if it's a flame, I want your opinions and will take them to heart so long as you have reasons that my writing sucks. Just no yelling at me for my choice of pairings. That's just not nice.**


	7. Something fishy

**Well, it's Friday night at 8:50, and after conversing with sunarose for a few wall posts, I realized tomorrow was Saturday and I needed to type SOMETHING if I didn't want to update on Wednesday AGAIN. (Just watch. It'll be Wednesday when I post this.) **

**I had ideas in the shower, and they seem to have dried up. Gone blank. RRRRR.**

"Gimme the details." Riza looked at Rebecca skeptically.

"What details?" Riza asked innocently, brushing her blonde bangs out of her eyes.

"You and Roy got together for Thanksgiving." Rebecca said, scoffing as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What about it, Becca? We ate, we talked, I glared, he glared, we parted ways. There's nothing to tell."

"Seriously?" Rebecca whined, pouting.

"Well, we didn't get roaring drunk and confess our undying love for each other, if that's what you mean." Riza said, regretting it the moment it slipped past her tounge.

"WAIT. Whoa whoa whoa, my BEST FRIEND got DRUNK and I wasn't even THERE? DAMN!" Riza resisted the urge to facepalm.

"Didn't I just tell you we DIDN'T?"

"You said you didn't get ROARING drunk!"

"I DIDN'T EVEN TOUCH THE ALCOHOL!" Riza yelled. Rebecca grinned mischeviously.

"What about Roy?" Riza froze. In truth, Roy had accidentally swallowed half her father's shot of whiskey, but there was no way in hell that Riza would let Rebecca know that. After a split second of weighing the options, Riza continued to walk.

"I don't pay attention to what Roy Mustang does or doesn't do, Becca." Rebecca pouted.

"Wait…You said something about confessing your undying love for Roy Mustang." She said, smirking.

"I was being sarcastic, Becca." Rebecca stuck out her tounge at her best friend as they continued down the hallway.

…

"I swear the only thing my mom's good for is her food." Jean said, grinning like an idiot. Roy scoffed and let words slip out of his mouth. Very idiotic words.

"Riza's is better." Jean, Heymans and Maes all stopped dead in their tracks. Roy gulped, realizing his dire mistake.

"Shit." He muttered. His comebacks had deserted him, as well as his entire brain.

"Riza? As in… Riza HAWKEYE?" Roy nodded miserably.

"How the HELL do you know what Riza Hawkeye's cooking is like?" Jean asked, looking ready to explode.

"We…We were friends, remember?" He stuttered. Heymans looked unconvinced, as well as Maes, but Jean- being Jean- accepted it and continued down the hall.

"You don't remember food a fifth grader cooked…" Heymans said doubtfully as he and Maes followed behind Jean and Roy. Maes nodded. There was something fishy going on here.

….

Thanksgiving had, in Riza's mind, been an absolute disaster. Her mashed potatoes had been fluffed too much, her gravy was too thin, she almost set the turkey on fire…

And to top off that, Roy had swallowed some of the worst whiskey in the history of whiskey.

Riza's father was not exactly the most classy and sophisticated man in the world. He was rash, violent, and usually under the influence of some sort of alcohol. He also drank with the same glasses that Riza and Roy had had their cider in.

Of course, the glasses had become mingled and Roy- who would never pay attention to anything in his life- had grabbed the wrong glass and downed half of its contents in one gulp. He hid it extremely well, and the adults didn't notice his little choking epidemic and desperate shoveling of pie into his mouth in an attempt to soften the burn.

He had done that five times total, the imbecile. It was a good thing he had a lot of pie. Roy was looking a bit tipsy as he left with his aunt and the three sisters who had chosen to come, but Riza had not expected him to show up at 2am on her doorstep.

"_What do you want, Roy? Go home." _

"_But Riiiizaaaaaa, I hafta teeeellll you somethin'." He whined. Riza almost shut the door in his face, but Roy looked so pitiful._

"_What, Roy? Tell me tomorrow." She snapped. Pitiful or not, he had still woken her up at 2am._

"_Nuh uh. Can't do that. Might lose my nerve. Lost it for about three years already." _

"_Go. Home." _

"_But I hafta tell you something!" _

"_Fine. What?" Two seconds away from closing the door. Who would've guessed the great Roy Mustang got trashed so easily? He was going to have one hell of a headache in the morning._

"'_Member when we were in sixth grade and I was a total ass? Well, I was a total ass." Riza rubbed her temples and groaned. Roy's voice- thick and slurred- was giving her a nasty headache._

"_I think we already knew that, Roy. Now go home." He whined and moved closer to Riza. She could smell the alcohol on his breath now. God, it was disgusting._

"_But thaz not all, 're reeeeeeeallly prettyyy." Roy said, leaning in with a stupid grin. Riza blushed and pushed him away._

"_Roy, shut up. You're trashed, and you don't know what you're saying." _

"_But I dooooo, Rizzzzaaaaaa." He protested, leaning in again. She sighed and moved to push him away again._

_Then, of course (Because her day had to get even worse) he had kissed her. _

_It hadn't lasted too long- just a split second- and then he was gone, the only proof that he had ever been there a phantom tingle on her lips and an aftertaste of alcohol in her mouth. Riza wasn't sure if she had kissed back, but she sure as hell hadn't pushed him away._

_And she had no clue why not._

Riza hadn't lied to Rebecca- _they _didn't get roaring drunk and confess _their_ undying love for each other. Heck, Roy hadn't even said he loved Riza. And he had been drunk, so there was no guarantee that he had even meant what he had said. No, there was no guarantee.

Riza both thanked and cursed for that, and (again) she had no clue why.

**Well, that was fun. Review?**

**AND IT'S NOT WEDNESDAY! YAY!**


	8. An invitation or seven

**Well, it's Wednesday, and in hopes of actually updating ever, **

**Nevermind. It's now Saturday, and that ten words was all I got accomplished. Pitiful…**

_Vibrato, Riza. Slow, steady… and b flat concert, just for a warm up. Then D minor. Now C major. Alright, let's go onto the exercises he wanted me to do._

_Damn, these look really tedious. _Riza sighed inwardly, skipping a few of the repetitive rhythms, but beginning on the fourth, playing extra quiet so as not to disturb her father.

The doorbell chiming completely ruined that notion, of course.

"RIZA!" She heard him roar. Riza sighed,- out loud this time- and unhooked her neck strap, relieving herself of the alto sax dangling from it. It wasn't heavy- she was used to it by now- but it had a way of giving her neck kinks. She set the sax on her bed and padded softly down the hall to the door. Sighing, she eased the door open. It revealed Madame Christmas in her full Christmas glory.

"Riza, dear! It's been so long! How you've grown!" She said excitedly. "No wonder Roy never shuts up about you, you've grown to be quite the beauty." Riza blushed.

"Would you like to come in?" She managed to stammer. Chris Mustang smiled and stepped into the hall.

"And before you start with 'Madame', or 'Ms. Mustang', Riza, I want you to call me Chris. You called me Chris for five years, and we're starting it again now. I have a feeling that soon enough, our households will merge anyway." If Riza hadn't been thoroughly red before, she certainly was now.

"But anyway, dear, I can't stay long. I'm just making the rounds. You'll be here Christmas, right?" Riza gave a shy nod and let Chris continue. "Perfect! Well then, I'll just put you and your father on the guest list for the party. Here's the invitation- oh, and have a few for all your friends. If Roy's as accomplished at knowing your life as I think he is, you need to bring Rebecca, Maria, Gracia, Winry, Sheska… Hm. Anyone I'm missing, Riza?" Riza considered a moment, then shook her head, then resolved to make Roy's life living hell. He knew who she hung out with. He told CHRIS who she hung out with. He knew her life after purposefully pushing her away. Why hadn't he just pushed her away and forgotten about her, gotten on with his life?

_He had always been afraid of letting go. _That bastard.

"Riza? Riza? Off in dreamland, thinking about my nephew? I can't say I'm surprised…" Riza snapped back to attention.

"No! What gives you that idea?"

"Oh, just the way your eyes glazed over when I said his name. I've had a lot of daughters, Riza. I know these things." Chris got up to leave, shrugging on her fur-lined jacket. "…and if you ever need someone to talk to, Riza, just remember that I'm always here. Even if- especially if- the person you're mad at is our little Roy-boy." Riza ducked her head to try to hide the small, genuine smile that decorated her face.

"Thank you, Chris. For everything."

~*~BREAK~*~

"Lanfan, I have a dilemma." Lanfan looked up from her history textbook to face the squinty-eyed heir to a multi-billion dollar industry, sighing.

"What is it, Ling?" She asked, her voice small as always.

"I can't bring myself to hate Mei Chang." She raised an eyebrow.

"Most would consider that a good thing."

"But she's my rival! My competition! The sole reason I DON'T have a clear shot to inheriting the company! Shouldn't I hate her? Shouldn't she be my driving passion, the reason I want the company so badly?" He pushed his bangs out of his eyes irritably.

"Maybe it was our childhood." Lanfan suggested. Ling shrugged.

"I mean, she was an annoying little brat then, but she did save our sorry asses a lot. She's really the same as she was then. I've seen her with Alphonse, and she looks just like she did then- a bit lost, but so thrilled and excited to be with them that she could forget that. And, of course, a complete bitch to the people who pissed her off." Ling gave Lanfan a ghost of a smile, remembering the little girl that Mei was and the only slightly bigger girl she was now.

"Mei is all of those things, Ling. What are you trying to say?"

"Always cutting to the chase, aren't you?" Lanfan smiled shyly. "I'm not sure if I want the company as much as I did. I'm not sure if making an enemy like Mei is worth it."

"Sacrifices have to be made."

"Damn them."

"Damn them or not, Ling, they still have to be made."

~*~BREAK~*~

"Fuery! Come on, man. Just come."

"I don't want a repeat of what happened last time!" Fuery protested weakly.

"This time, Riza and her friends will be fully aware that we are spying on them!" Roy argued. A few passing teens gave him an odd look. "Well, wrong choice of words, there…"

"I'm Jewish!" Kain whimpered, his eyes pleading.

"Riza's coming? WHY THE HELL IS RIZA COMING?" Jean shouted at Roy. Roy ignored Jean for about the fiftieth time.

"So? If it really bothers you that much, we'll call it a HOLIDAY party." Kain whimpered. He was running out of excuses.

"This is a big chance, Kain. You go to this, and you might even get a girlfriend." Maes whispered in Kain's ear. "Although, no one's as good as MY Gracia! I got her flowers yesterday! Doesn't she look like an angel?"

"Maes, put the pictures away. This is not the time." Roy groaned.

"I don't want a girlfriend!"

"'Course you do."

"No, I don't!"

"Trust me, it's great!" Roy took a long swig of Gatorade.

"Then why don't you have a girlfriend?" The Gatorade promptly sprayed Jean in the face as Roy sputtered and groped for a semi-acceptable answer without using the words 'Riza' 'Hate' and 'Playboy'.

"He's head over heels for Riza Hawkeye, that's why!"

"MAES, SHUT UP."

"What? It's true! That's why she's always at the parties and stuff!"

"My AUNT invites her!"

"So why does she come?"

"She and Chris are close!"

"I think someone's in denial!" Maes chirped cheerfully.

"Am not!"

~*~BREAK~*~

Winry was not happy. Not happy, of course, meaning pissed.

Winry was pissed a lot, but most of that ended with a wrench to Ed's head. Today, though, as Ed lay on the floor bleeding, Winry was on a rampage. Pinako, having raised the hormonal teen herself, had wisely stayed out of Winry's way, puffing on her pipe and mixing up cake batter for when Winry finally calmed down.

"Winry! What happened?" Ah, so Al had brought the little midget Mei girl home again. Those two were becoming inseperable.

"That. Son. Of. A. Bitch." Winry raised her wrench again. Mei squeaked and threw her arms up to cover her face. Al grabbed the other end of the wrench, earning a death glare from Winry.

"Winry, are you talking about Ed? Because I think he learned his lesson."

"Dating. That. Bitch."

"Ed's dating?"

"Well, they were making out in the hallway, Al. What does that tell you?" Winry's voice was low and dangerous. Al would have to tread on thin ice to get Winry to even consider dropping the wrench, let alone calming down.

"Winry…let go of the wrench."

"No." At this point, Mei wisely retreated to the kitchen, where Pinako was beckoning for her to help with the next confectionary.

"Winry, I think Ed's learned his lesson."

"He's not dead yet."

"Winry, he's bleeding. How many times did you hit him?"

"…A few." Al facepalmed.

"Oh, damn, my head! Damn, damn, damn." Various profanities lept out of Ed's mouth as he sat up, rubbing his head. "And I'm not dating that bitch, Winry." He muttered, glaring up at her from his seat on the floor.

"Then why did you kiss her?" Winry shook Al off and raised her wrench menacingly.

"She kissed me!"

"Oh." The wrench fell to the floor as Winry's anger vanished in the blink of an eye.

She had a way of doing that.

"Ah, cake anyone? Ms. Pinako says it'll be done in a few minutes." Mei asked timidly, poking her head into the living room.

**Sunday, 2:03pm. Got a new sketchbook. **** Gatorade doesn't belong to me. I don't even know if I own any. I hate it. Vitaminwater is so much better. **

**I feel accomplished. :D**


	9. An Angel

**Well, it's Friday! TO WRITE THE CHRISTMAS PARTY!**

**So next week, we're going to Arizona until the 30****th****, so I'll write and MAYBE type (If I can sneak the laptop into my backpack) up lots and lots. I promise. But I get to see my grama, which makes me happy. We'll make lots of cookies. **** I love my grama.**

Kain Fuery was not thrilled about having to attend the Christmas party hosted my Chris Mustang. It wasn't the fact that it was a Christmas party and that he was Jewish, or even that it was hosted by the Mustangs.

It was the fact that his grandmother was taking it so seriously that her "little Kain" had been invited to a "real party" and not just a gathering of nerds who did nothing but sit around and discuss the importance of the number forty-two. So his grandmother spent hours with him at the mall, carefully picking out what seemed like millions of different combinations of slacks and dress shirts until Kain wanted to scream and rip apart everything he saw. Even the ice cream that he got at the end of the trying day didn't lift his spirits. His grandmother was stunned. Ice cream _always_ cheered Kain up.

So here Kain was, clutching some mystery object wrapped in bright red paper, dejectedly walking the few short blocks to the Mustang household.

"Hi Kain! You going to the party?" Kain looked up to see Al, Mei, Winry and Ed on the other side of the street. The foursome quickly crossed the snowy street to join Kain.

"You guys are too?" He questioned. Judging by the dresses the girls were wearing, there really wasn't any question about it.

"Yup. Why're you going? Seems like you could get out of it pretty easily."

"Grandma." He said, shrugging.

"Damn, same here." Ed growled. "Plus he blackmailed us, the bastard."

"Brother, he didn't. You're exaggerating."

"Bastard."

"Be nice, Ed." Fuery watched Winry dig through her purse. Ed stiffened.

~*~BREAK~*~

"You see, Lanfan, this is why we're here." Ling said, grinning and rearranging the lights that decorated the interior hallway.

"To what, Ling? Steal Christmas lights?"

"Nope! Why would we steal them? I'll put them back, Lanfan. Right after I do this."

"Ling, this is a bad idea. Why don't you put them back now?" Lanfan watched as Ling waved her warning off casually, concentrating on looping about five feet of white lights together.

"They won't mind." Suddenly, Ling's smile turned to a mischievous grin, and he bounced up to Lanfan, their noses inches away. She blushed, and Ling raised his loop of lights to place gently on the top of her head.

"Now you look like an angel, Lanfan!" Her face was bright red as he busied himself with adjusting the crown she wore. "Especially with that dress you're wearing. You should wear dresses more often. They're pretty on you." Ling leaned closer and gave Lanfan a kiss on the cheek.

Suddenly she never wanted to take the lights off.

~*~BREAK~*~

Riza sat in a corner. Rebecca and Maria had long deserted her for want of finding boys to flirt with, and Gracia was getting jumpy.

"Gracia, come on and look at the lights! Chistmas did a great job!" Gracia smiled at Maes, who returned the grin with anxious excitement.

"You wanna come look, Riza?"

"Nah, you go with Maes, Gracia. I'd just be a third wheel." Riza shooed her doubtful friend away. Gracia joined Maes, and Riza surveyed the rest of the party. Maria and Denny were blushing and talking in a corner, and Rebecca was being her usual bold, crazy self and flirting with every boy that passed her. So far only Jean Havoc had returned the flirting, and Rebecca had settled for it. The flirtations quickly turned to into insults, like they always did. Riza knew if Rebecca started arguing with someone, she liked them.

This could be a disaster.

~*~BREAK~*~

Madame Christmas lived up to her name. The décor was, as always, a step away from ostentatious, and random sprigs of mistletoe dotted the ceiling. Most people had kissed someone they didn't really want to, and a few had kissed people they did want to.

Riza hadn't kissed anyone.

Yet.

Riza emerged from the bathroom into the hallway, her low heels clicking on the hardwood. She heard footsteps behind her, louder and more pronounced than her own.

"Hey Riza." Riza bit her tongue to stop herself from groaning in exasperation. Of course Roy would be here. In the hallway. "Looks like Chris kept the mistletoe row. Damn." Riza looked up to see sprigs of mistletoe lining the ceiling.

"I won't tell if you don't." Riza said, looking sideways at him. He looked at her and smirked.

"But that would be ignoring tradition, Riza." He turned to her and moved closer, still smirking. Riza glared at him, folding her arms across her chest.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Watch me."

"I hate you."

"Good to know nothing's changed." He pressed his lips against hers.

~*~BREAK~*~  
Riza wasn't sure why kissing him felt so _good._ She shouldn't be kissing him. It was going against everything she had told herself for the past six years. It was just so _good._ Damn, it tasted so good. It _felt _like flying.

Then she remembered she was kissing Roy Mustang. She kept kissing him. It just tasted so. Damn. Good.

He loved kissing her. It was really, _really_ intoxicating. All he could manage was to keep kissing her and hope that she liked it too. Because he sure as hell did.

~*~BREAK~*~

Rebecca was shocked. Completely and utterly _shocked._ All that she had wanted to do was go to the bathroom and then go back to flirting with Jean. (She had never quite realized how _hot_ he was before tonight) Rebecca hadn't been expecting anything like _this. _

"Oh. My. God." Rebecca turned to see Maes Hughes, bug-eyed and mouth open, staring at the same sight she was. Under different circumstances, Rebecca would've laughed, but this was no laughing matter. Her best friend was kissing Roy Mustang, womanizing bastard extraordinaire. No, they weren't just kissing. They were damn near making out. Rebecca watched as he tilted his head and began to chew on Riza's lip. _Scratch that._ She thought. _They ARE making out. _Riza let out a little squeak that Rebecca never knew was possible to be uttered by her best friend. She let out a strangled choke.

"Sh, this is _golden _blackmail material." Maes whispered, already snapping shots with his camera.

"They're making out." She said, dumbfounded.

"Exactly."

"They're _making out._" Rebecca repeated.

"Is there something really wrong with that? I bet Riza could get Roy's head out of his ass." Maes said, shrugging.  
"No, I guess there isn't. But they're still making out."

**XD I loved writing that. Did you like reading it? Tell me. In a REVIEW.**

**Oh, and if I owned FMA, it would be all about Roy and Riza. And Al. And Mei. And XING. And ROY. Did I mention Roy?**


	10. You?

**Let's attempt an update! :D Leaving Sat. It's 8:01pm on Thurs. **

**Inspired on the way home from the holiday jump rope party listening to "All I Want for Christmas is You" **

…**It made me happy. :D **

**Oh, and my entire family does not understand the whole "I need to write NOW" thing. They just aren't writers. Those poor, poor people… (It's 8:44 now, I had to pack. And mom is gonna be all like "You need your rest! Go to bed at 9!" She seems to think when she goes to bed, I have to too. Oh, **_**mother.**_**)**

They broke apart eventually, more in need of air than anything else. Both Riza and Roy had flushed cheeks, both from heat and embarrassment.

"So, do you still hate me?" He whispered in her ear, already gaining the cocky edge his voice seemed to automatically possess.

"Arrogant bastard." She muttered back, a tiny smile gracing her lips.

"Good, good. Let it out now, Riza. That way you can actually accept that I'm sorry." The cockiness seemed to dwindle as he finished his sentence.

"What?" She drew back, startled. Roy's gaze dropped from her mahogany eyes to his feet.

"I'm sorry about sixth grade. I know it was a while ago, and I'm an idiot, and I should have apologized about six years ago, but I'm really sorry and I guess I was just too much of a coward to realize that a long time ago." Riza's eyes dropped to her feet as well.

"Really?" He looked up and scratched the back of his neck.

"Yea." Their eyes locked again, charcoal and mahogany slowly blinking at each other. Suddenly Riza swooped close and quickly kissed his cheek.

"I guess you're forgiven." She said quietly before walking away. Roy watched her go, and as she turned back into the party, he punched the air and grinned.

~*~BREAK~*~

"They were doing what? Well, I can't say I'm surprised, but I wasn't expecting Ri to give in that easily… My goodness, I can't believe it. Certainly makes my life easier, though. Although Roy isn't going to shut up about her any time soon, I couldn't be more proud. I mean, honestly, at least now it will be more of good things and not constant repetition of 'Riza's so pretty, but she hates me…' That I believe to be a very good thing."

"They were making out." Seemed to be all that Rebecca was capable of saying.

"Yes duck, and I can't believe you're so shocked. Maes, I have an idea. Do you have 'All I Want For Christmas is You' on that ipod of yours?" Christmas grinned and stuck a cigarette in her mouth as Maes nodded. "Play it when I give you the signal. About ten minutes or so. Depends on how willing everyone is. Rebecca, shut your mouth and come with me. Making out, huh? Well, six years of pent up emotions does lead to one hell of a kiss." Rebecca obediently clamped her mouth shut and followed the maniacal foster mother as ordered.

"What does that lady have up here sleeve?" Maes wondered, then shrugged- whatever Chris did, he wasn't going to do anything but hit play.

~*~BREAK~*~

"Roy, why don't you get up off your sorry ass and dance with her already?" Rebecca asked the raven-haired teen sitting on the sidelines. "You've been staring at her for forever."

"What?" He asked, obviously jolted from a happy daze.

"Go dance with her, or I'm going to make it a solo, and we'll see exactly how much you remember from five years of ballroom dancing lessons." Roy went a bit pink.

"How the hell do you know about that, Rebecca?"

"Doesn't matter how I _know _it, Mustang. What _matters_ is that I'll tell everyone about them if you don't go and dance with Riza Hawkeye." Rebecca said, as if she was talking to a small child.

"Damnit, Rebecca!" Roy stood up, shot Rebecca a glare and slowly made his way over to Riza. Rebecca watched him run his fingers through his hair and her best friend turn pink and shake her head. Roy jerked his head toward Rebecca. She waved innocently, and Riza nodded. He held out his hand, and Riza took it, finally smiling. As if on cue, Maes hit the play button. The first chiming notes of the song echoed through the room, and Rebecca grinned. Maybe Christmas was right about them being very similar people.

_I don't want a lot for Christmas_

_There is just one thing I need_

_I don't care about the presents_

_Underneath the Christmas tree_

_I just want you for my own_

_More than you could ever know_

_Make my wish come true..._

_All I want for Christmas is you_

Riza twirled in Roy's arms, mentally cursing everyone that could possibly have been involved in this. Chris, Roy, Maes, Rebecca, Jean, even Kain got some sort of an evil glare.

Riza smelled like vanilla and cinnamon- a spicy combination, but nevertheless enticing and even more intoxicating than when he had kissed her underneath the mistletoe. He leaned his head in closer, drinking it in.

"Oh, they'll be couple of the year for sure." Winry murmured, her eyes glazed over and a smile on her face.

"The bastard and her? You've got to be joking." Ed scoffed, picking up his glass and taking a sip.

"Ed! Look at them!" Winry scolded, lightly smacking him on the head and forcing his uninterested gaze towards the center of the room. Riza and Roy were an inch apart now, and still their feet were perfectly in sync with the other's.

"Well, I still say he doesn't deserve her." Ed shrugged.

"And I still say that that doesn't matter. I fell for you, didn't I? I never once thought you were up to my standards, but I fell for you anyway. What's to say Riza didn't do the exact same thing?"

Riza could feel the blush creeping up her neck when she stared into the charcoal eyes of Roy Mustang. In reality, they were a dark blue, but no one but her knew that. No one but her…

They ended the song with a flourish, even closer together than they had been before. The entire room seemed to lean in, not wanting to miss the moment that had to be coming next. There was a collected draw of breath as Roy leaned in. Their noses touched now. Their heads were angling.

Riza suddenly broke free of Roy's arms, pushing the lovestruck teen away.

_No, damnit! She couldn't do this! The mistletoe was one thing, but she couldn't do this. Not even if she forgave him. It was all too much, too fast, and she couldn't do it. She was Riza Hawkeye, not one of his weekly girlfriends! How many other girls had touched those lips? Five, ten, maybe even twenty?_

_She couldn't do this. No way._

The silence in the room after she raced from it was deafening. The entire world seemed to stop turning, and in the center of it all, Roy stood, barely even standing from shock.

_All I want for Christmas is you… _

_All I want for Christmas is you… _

_All I want for Christmas is you…_

_Perhaps it won't be so easy after all. _Chris mused, looking from the door to her nephew disapprovingly.

~*~BREAK~*~

As with all parties, it did go on eventually. Eventually Roy moved from his spot in the center of everything to the hallway where he could sink down and think.

It didn't help.

**I can't say I enjoy getting up at 5am, even if it is by choice. I could have slept until six, but I had to write. I just had to.**

**Hope my early morning writing meets your standards! Tell me in a review. I'll answer when I have internet. Which could be… the 31****st****. Joy…**


	11. Hot Cocoa

**High School. YAY. **

"Roy-boy, the party's over. Have you been out here the entire time?"

"Yea." He answered gloomily. Chris sighed and grabbed Roy's collar, hoisting the eighteen year old up as if he was only eight.

"You're going to bed." She said firmly.

"Chris, why did she leave?" He moaned, resisting her tugs and pulls. Chris looked at the teen with sympathy in her eyes.

"Well, I can't look into the minds of girls for you, Roy. Come on, into the kitchen, I'll make some hot chocolate and we'll talk." Roy followed his godmother into the kitchen miserably, his once confident strides reduced to a slow shuffle. Chris looked at the boy again. He really was head over heels for her, and she wasn't going to give in like every other girl. Her nephew was as lost as a tourist in the city at rush hour.

"Now, perk up, young man. Stop looking so glum." Chris commanded, sliding a mug of hot chocolate down the table. "You're going to have to deal with disappointment and things even more depressing than this in your life, so get over her."

"She's _Riza, _Chris. I can't get over _Riza._" He mooned over his mug. Chris scoffed.

"There have been people surer of that than you, and they've gotten on with life."

"But…but she accepted my apology. Then I was so sure, and she ran… Is there something wrong with me, Chris?" He glanced at her with pleading puppy dog eyes. Chris sighed.

"Riza's a top notch girl, Roy. You don't just sweep someone like her off her feet with an apology and a bouquet of roses. You have to be a top notch guy for that to happen, and to be a top notch guy you need to meet her standards. Otherwise you'll be a puppy dog trailing her forever." A fragment of understanding lit Roy's face.

"So I need a car?" Chris moaned softly.

"Stop thinking that Riza's a cheerleader, Roy. Pretend you're not a teenage boy."

"What if I got a Mustang?" He asked excitedly, ignoring the words of wisdom.

"She'll like you even less, I guarantee." The exhilaration drained out of his face.

"Oh. But every girl likes a guy with a car." He argued.

"Roy, Riza is a young lady, not a girl. She hasn't cared about boys with cars since sixth grade. Riza is a lot like your sister Charlotte."

"Charlotte? Damn it, Chris, you were right. I DO need to get over her." Roy wailed, and sank his head into his arms.

"I said a lot, not that Riza is Charlotte. Riza won't want flowers, though she does like chocolate. No flattery- not empty flattery, either. She needs real, genuine care. Especially with the father she has…"

"I hate that bastard." He muttered.

"Now Roy, don't be rude."

"He hurt Riza once, when we were little. It was right after her mom had died and she was crying and he slapped her. How could he slap her, Chris?" He mumbled, his eyes focused on the slowly swirling cocoa.

"He did what? Oh, good lord, I can't believe that. Has…has he done anything else, Roy?" Chris fretted, vividly imagining every scratch Riza had ever bore as proof of abuse that she had ignored.

"The week I got kicked out, he was screaming at her for having military applications. I stood up for her, and I got yelled at too." He groaned.

"For wanting to join the military? Oh, Riza, why are you so stubborn? You pay close attention, Roy. We'll go over how to woo her in the morning, providing you get up." Chris' gaze went to the window overlooking the street. The light in the Hawkeye house blinked out, and Roy scraped his chair away from the kitchen table.

"G'night, Chris."

"Good night, Roy." She watched Roy walk out of the room and then turned her eyes back to the dark house across the street. "We're here for you, baby girl." She muttered, lighting a cigarette. "Elizabeth, help your daughter. Send her here. God knows her father is too far to be saved, but Riza's still a good girl."

"That was the single most best party I've ever been to, Lanfan!" Ling exclaimed on the walk home. Lanfan, a step behind him, hid her pink face.

"It was alright, Ling."

"Alright? Did you SEE all the food they had?" He turned and began to walk backwards, practically skipping with glee.

"Don't blame me if you get sick, Ling." She commented, trying to find a clump of hair to twist in vain. It was still all firmly tucked in her bun.

"And the dancing! Did you see Riza and Roy? The way she rushed from the room at the end of the song- very dramatic. I liked it."

"I don't think that was planned, Ling."

"You mean she actually ran from a kiss with Roy? I highly doubt that, Lanfan. I hear they were making out in the hallway right before that song." He argued. Lanfan thought he looked rather silly, walking backwards in the snow, passionately stating his case.

"Perhaps she got scared."

"Nah. She's Riza Hawkeye. Riza Hawkeye doesn't get scared. She's like the ice woman." Now he was waggling his fingers as if he was a spirit.

"_Ling._" Lanfan groaned.

"Are the fingers too much?" He asked.

"Just a bit." He dropped his hands to his sides and promptly fell backwards into someone's yard.

"Lanfan!" He whined. "Why didn't you tell me that a corner was coming up?"

"I thought you knew." She said, trying to hold back her giggles and offering her hand to help him up. He grinned and took it, hoisting himself up.

"I would pull you down too, but it might ruin your nice dress." Ling was walking forward again.

"Thank you?"

"Besides, I bet you wouldn't like me for it." He rambled, shoving his wet gloves in his pocket.

"I might get annoyed at you, Ling, but…"

"I'll always be your idiotic best friend!" He finished.

"You'll always be my idiotic best friend." She confirmed. Ling gave her a toothy smile and slipped his hand in hers. Lanfan looked at him in surprise and blushed.

"And you, Lanfan, will always be my best friend that's prettier than an angel!" He declared, swinging their interlocked fingers.

It was amazing how fast Riza's mind was whirling from subject to subject. One second she was thinking about her calculus homework, and the next Roy was her entire mind.

_You're not going to make me think about him. _She threatened herself, turning onto her stomach.

_You want to think about him. _Her mind countered, flashing a memory of him helping her up in eighth grade.

_Am I really having an argument with myself? _She thought, groaning into her pillows.

_I believe you are, Riza. Mind knows best, so face your fear for once!_

_I trusted you with that statement once, and then I got spider bites and an even worse fear of arachnids. _

_Oh, Riza, you were five! _

_And it haunts me to this day. So shut up and let me sleep. _She was going to be in control of her mind.

_You're thinking me, Riza. _

_Argh. Just shut up. _

_You like him._

_So is that your purpose? _Another memory flashed behind her eyes. This time it was recent, one of the days that he had been staring at her from across the cafeteria.

_Why did I run? _She thought to herself, the annoying voice of reason gone. Kissing him, dancing, taking his hand, feeling his breath hot on her cheek, his voice, his hands…

_Damn it! _

Riza burrowed deeper into her pillows and tried to calm her churning mind.

**I seem to like pillows lately. I do like pillows.**


	12. A gift

**Christmas! How is it that I manage to write on Christmas? **

**Arizona. I'm staying with my Gramma (who is making deviled eggs) and my parents aren't. There isn't enough room at Gramma's, so they have to stay in a hotel. Suckers. XD They're not due to arrive for maybe half an hour. So there you have it. I have a small enough interest in the outside world to not care if it's CHRISTMAS. Wow.**

"CHRISSSSSSS!" She heard Roy bellow from the opposite end of the house. Seconds later, he came dashing in, still in his pajamas. Chris glanced up at the clock- it was near eleven am. _Boys. _

"Yes, Roy?" She asked, sighing at the sight of her godson.

"It's CHRISTMAS!" Chris raised an eyebrow.

"And what about it, Roy? We'll open presents after breakfast."

"Nonononono Chris!" Roy argued, again sounding like an eight year old. "It's CHRISTMAS and I haven't gotten Riza a gift!" He began to dash around frantically, snatching his coat and starting to rush out the door.

"Roy, for heaven's sake, at least take off your pajamas and put on some real clothes!" Roy paused, his head halfway outside.

"Oh. Damn! Yea, I'll go do that." Chris smiled and rolled her eyes.

"CHRISSSSSSSS!" She heard again, almost a minute later. Chris waited patiently for the frantic godson to burst into the room. When he did, there was a shirt halfway over his head.

"Yes, Roy?"

"What do I get her?"

~*Break*~

"I swear. That boy is nothing but a hyperactive two year old on a sugar high when he's thinking about Riza. If I didn't know the girl so well, I'd disapprove of that." Chris muttered as Roy triumphantly dusted the snow off of his coat three hours later.

"It took me six stores, Chris. Three were closed! But I got it! Look!" Chris rubbed her head. Where was the asprin when she needed it? "Chris, look at it! D'you think she'll like it?"

"Yes, Roy. I'm sure she'll love it." She said tiredly. "Oh, and she left us some cookies."

"And fudge?"

"Yes, Roy. And fudge, but not until you've eaten breakfast."

~*Break*~

"Merry Christmas, dad." Riza said quietly, setting a small box on the desk. Her father looked up at her briefly, their eyes connecting for a short second.

"You look more like your mother every day, Riza." He muttered. She nodded.

"Chris told me that too." There was an awkward silence, broken by the ring of the doorbell. "I'll get it." She padded softly down the hallway, grateful for its interference. She cracked open the door, mystified by who would choose to call on her family on Christmas.

There was no one- just a small envelope. She looked around in confusion, trying to find the owner of the packet. There was no sound on the street except for the far off ring of laughter, and there was nothing giving away that anyone had been there barely a minute before except for two lines of footprints in the crisp, untouched snow. Riza bent down to retrieve the gift and closed the door behind her. Down the hallway and in her room, she finally gave in to the temptation of the white envelope that she now saw was labeled _Riza _in neat, simple letters.

_Riza:_

_I'm really no good at lovey-dovey junk unless I'm faking it, and I'm not faking it with you. I hate to make it seem like I didn't try on this letter, but I'm really just writing whatever comes to me, because I feel like you wouldn't accept it otherwise, and you definitely wouldn't accept a random necklace in an envelope without an explanation._

_I hope you like it. It's really simple and elegant, like you, and it reminds me of the shade of your eyes. (Maybe I'm good at spur of the moment romance after all. That was pretty smooth, and it took me about five seconds just staring at the necklace and being freaked out when I started to see pupils and eyelashes on it.)_

_Okay, never mind._

_I really enjoyed the party, so this is a thank you gift and a Christmas present all in one. You missed the cake, though. I wish you had stayed._

_Love, _

_Roy_

Riza stared at the letter and the simple amber pendant on the leather thong in disbelief. After a moment, she raised the accessory and tied it around her neck. No sense letting such a pretty thing go unworn, even if the giver was Roy Mustang.

_Especially if the giver was Roy Mustang._

**Yay for filler chapters. :D Merry Christmas! **

**I GET TO GO TO SAKURA-CON IN APRIL! *random nonsensical fangirl noises of joy***


	13. Fireworks

**Happy New Year, guys! WHEEEEE!**

**I need to start working on my cosplay for Sakura-con. I'm going as Mei Chang. :D Anyone wanna be Xiao Mei? Ch1? **

***tumbleweed***

**Ah well. Do I really have 73 reviews? That's a lot… I'll reward the 100****th**** reviewer! They'll make a cameo or something! With the weird girls! Or maybe they'll even have a line or two! :D**

**73 words, and it's only an author's note. XD**

**4:00 on Sunday, now. I just ate a bowl of mini marshmallows so stale they crunched, did my band tapes, cleaned my room, got angry at youtube, listened to seven different Royai AMVs, listened to Ame no Hi Wa No Thank You about fourteen, and now I'm going to attempt to write. This can only end badly, because now I'm on sugar high.**

Lanfan never did care much for the New Year- in her mind, New Year in the Far East was indefinitely more exciting, and watching the ball drop in New York City was nothing compared to the festivals, parades and parties in China. All Americans did was drink, and what sort of festivity was that?

The fireworks were better in New York City, though. When she was little and still living in China, her grandfather had taken her on a trip to New York for an entire month, just him and her, and nothing had been more magical to her five year old eyes than the firework display from the window of a high rise hotel so close to the sparkles that Lanfan could have reached out and touched them with her small hand. Fireworks to this day amazed her, and though she was older now and nearing adulthood, she still couldn't help but squeal in delight when the first firework exploded in the cold night air.

None of that really mattered now, though.

"Grandfather! GRANDFATHER!" Lanfan screamed, tears streaming down her face. She lunged forward, desperately trying to wrench her arms away from Ling's strong, restricting grip.

"Lanfan, no! Lanfan!" he yelled, gripping her tighter and pulling her away. "Please Lanfan, don't do this!"

"Grandfather! Ling, let me go! I need to help him! GRANDFATHER!"

"No Lanfan, I'm not going to let go! Fuu'll be fine!" Ling whirled her around and thrust her head into his shoulder, hiding her dark eyes from the fight.

"What the hell is Principal Bradley doing? Why is he on our street?" Ed shouted, obviously just noticing the brawl. His eyes went to the thin weapon in Bradley's hand. "He's got a damn sword!"

"He went berserk, Ed! Fuu's holding him off, get away from here!" Ling yelled, backing away from the two old men and clutching a struggling Lanfan close to prevent her from diving into the melee. Ed's eyes were wide, and he took off running down the street, stumbling and sliding around before turning into the driveway of a lit house and disappearing from sight. Ling and Lanfan crouched near enough so they could rush in if necessary, but Ling still restrained Lanfan, obeying Fuu's earlier commands.

"_Keep my granddaughter out of this fight, young man. I don't want to see her hurt."_

"_Alright old man, but if you get hurt, she'll be hurt." Ling had argued as Lanfan attempted to pry his fingers off her wrist._

~*Break*~

"…And now for our top story. There was a terrible incident last night on Resembool street, putting a serious blight on several families' New Years. Jen, to you."

"Thanks, Robert," Jen said, flipping her brown hair out of the collar of her coat. "New Year's eve was not a very festive occasion for the Shouwei family. Last night, Fuu Shouwei, his granddaughter Lanfan and her best friend Ling Yao were walking down Resembool street at about eight o'clock to get a good spot to watch the fireworks from the top of the hill when a man with a sword came charging down the sidewalk. We have eyewitness accounts that this man was King Bradley, principal of Central High School. Fuu told his granddaughter and her best friend to call 911, and after pushing them out of Bradley's path ran towards the man and attempted to disarm him. A classmate of Ling and Lanfan by the name of Edward Elric is here with us to tell us what he thought of this alarming episode. Edward?" Ed gave the news reporter a quizzical glance. When she silently motioned for him to talk, Ed attempted to swallow the lump in his throat and speak.

"There's…really not much to say. Fuu and Principal Bradley were fighting, and both of them were bloodied up pretty badly, but I think Fuu was worse off. He's always been a tough old man, but this was way out there. I never really expected Principal Bradley to do that, either- he's a bit obsessive about everyone at school getting fruit at lunch, and his eyepatch freaks out the freshmen, but all in all…" Jen twitched as she stared at the rambling teenager. As his voice faded, Jen plastered on a fake smile and took the camera back.

"Thank you, Edward. King Bradley escaped the police, and is currently loose. If you see him, immediately call 911. Do not try to approach him, he is highly dangerous. Robert, back to you."

~*Break*~

"Grandfather… Ling, do you think he'll be okay?" Lanfan asked Ling, her tremulous voice muffled in his shoulder. Ling sat next to her in the hospital waiting room, doing his best to allow her a shoulder to lean on until she could stand up on her own. He was her best friend (even if he thought they could be more than that, but Ling wasn't going to risk losing Lanfan. If necessary, he could hide his longing just to be nearer to her.)

"Fuu's tough, Lanfan. We both know that. He'll be fine." He reassured her, rubbing her back in small circles to soothe Lanfan.

She looked up at him, her eyes dry but scared. "How do you know that, Ling? How can you be so damn positive all the time?" She slammed a fist against his chest, demanding an answer from her best friend in a furious craze. Ling caught her wrist as is slowly slinked back closer to her face and delicately pried open her fingers to reveal a set of earrings and a matching necklace of stunning turquoise and silver.

"Well Lanfan, I have to be. I'm not exactly going to get the company if I don't believe that I can do it, right?"

Lanfan growled and pushed his hands away and slapped his cheek. Standing, she looked down on his stunned face, a snarl ruined by the tears in her eyes. "Why is everything related to Xing Industries, Ling? What's so important about that THING that you can bring it up when MY GRANDFATHER is dying down the hall? Why can't you forget about it for ONE MINUTE?"

Ling watched numbly as Lanfan fled from the room, her black hair flying out behind her like an ebony wave in the sea. "Lanfan, wait," he mumbled, knowing his meager efforts were futile, "Come back. Please…"

**:D I DID IT! **

**That was almost entirely Ling and Lanfan, there. I liked it. **

**Still not really sure if they SHOULD be Americans instead of Amestrians, but hey. Whatever. **

**100****th**** reviewer gets a cameo! :D**


	14. A Sad Sort of Happiness

**This is going to be very crackish from this point on… I mean, honestly, in the next few chapters, Fuery is going to devour a spiked melon and fall in love with Xiao Mei. **

**XD It'll have some deep parts too, don't worry. Good luck. **

**Research for cosplay. Funfunfunfunfun!**

"Go away, Ling," she muttered as the timid footsteps entered the room.

"Lanfan, I'm sorry… I didn't mean-" Lanfan interrupted the stuttering Yao by standing up and turning to face him.

"Yes, I'm sure you're very sorry, Ling. I'm sure you're absolutely crushed. But you know what? I don't really care! This isn't about us-not anymore," she spat, fuming. "so stop being so dramatic!"

"I know that! I'm an ass, Lanfan, and you have full right to know that that's probably all I'll ever be, but I care about him too! I care about you!"

She grimaced, inches away from slapping him. "I'm sure you do, Ling."

"Lanfan!" he protested weakly, grabbing her wrist. "I really do! How can you have known me since kindergarten and not know that I care about you and Fuu more than anything else in the entire world?"

"Right next to your precious _company, _I'm sure!"

"No! You two come before the goddamned company!"

"And that's why you mentioned it, isn't it? It's really reassuring when you're crying your eyes out to hear your best friend go 'Be optimistic! I have to so I can get a _company_! Isn't there anything more important to you that you could have said instead?"

Ling faltered and felt a hot blush race up his cheeks. Yes, there was something. It was standing right in front of him, screaming. "Well, this is awkward…" he muttered after a moment of silence. Lanfan finally noticed her best friend frozen in place, blushing bright red.

"Well, what is it now?" she snapped, folding her arms across her chest and hugging herself defensively, as if that could be any help at all.

"I…figured…" he attempted to swallow, but his mouth was so dry Ling nearly retched. "Youprobablywouldn''sinthehospitalandstuff," he finished in a single breath, rushing his words to fit them in the single gasp his suffocating lungs managed to draw in.

At this, Lanfan's cheeks became tinged with a delicate pink. "Wh-What did you just say?" she sputtered.

Ling grit his teeth together, unsure of what to repeat. He had definitely said too much. "I-I… Well… Ah…" he stammered.

"You…you WHAT?"

"F-forget I said anything, Lanfan. You don't want to see me, that's obvious, so I'll just leave. Tell Fuu I say hi when he wakes up, will you?"

"Love…me?"

It was amazing, really, the affect of teenage hormones on most girls. Usually Lanfan was the most level headed person Ling knew, but as she was faced with this sudden and unexpected confession, even her stomach was flipping over so much she felt like falling over and throwing up. Mood swings-they were a blessing and a curse.

"Yea…For a while, I mean look at you! You're smart, funny, creative, kind, kickass, pretty…A guy'd have to be blind not to fall for you!"

"You think I'm all that?" she asked, whispering.

"Well, YES. You're perfect!"

There was a quiet, gruff groan as a new voice joined the conversation. "It's about time. I was beginning to think I'd have to die before you two finally said so. He's been head over heels for you since seventh grade, granddaughter." The flustered teenagers choked on air as they finally realized that Fuu had been awake for a good portion of their conversation.

"Grandfather!" Lanfan exclaimed, collapsing back into the chair she had been perched in before Ling arrived.

"Well, it's nothing short of true. Now, I suppose, I can die. I know my granddaughter is in safe hands. Ling, watch her. Lanfan, watch him. It will be your way of life."

Lanfan squeezed her eyes shut, unsuccessfully attempting to hold back the tears. "Please, grandfather, don't die!" she begged. "I can't, please, grandfather…You're too young, please…"

"No, no, I'm just old enough. Smile, Lanfan, and make me die happy-I'm not afraid."

Lanfan tried-she really did-but all she could manage was a shuddering sob as her grandfather closed his eyes for the final time.

~*Break*~

"Did you hear? That girl whose grandfather died from Mr. Bradley's damned _sword wounds _is in the hospital. I got from a friend of hers that she went and _looked for him_. Sword wounds… Who the hell uses swords anymore, anyway?" Rebecca was actually dead serious as she looked Riza in the eyes and related the story.

Riza sighed. "Poor girl. Her name's Lanfan, I think. I hope they catch Bradley soon, he's a bastard…"

"Likewise. Besides, he's way too interested in melons. Did you ever notice that?"

"It was really awkward…"

"So anyway…" Rebecca droned, leaning over her desk and whispering in her friend's ear. "Has _Roy_ done anything for Valentine's day yet?" Riza whirled around in her seat, her formerly calm eyes now ablaze with fury.

"Becca, what the hell? We're not together, and we won't be!"

"Sure, sure, I'm positive you aren't dreaming about him every night. I bet he is, though. That was one whopper of a kiss you guys shared on Christmas, though. I couldn't speak for an hour."

"Becca!" Riza squeaked, seconds away from strangling her cheeky best friend.

"Riza, I think that's enough from you! I'm trying to teach math here. You may already understand it, but there are people in this room who don't, so please quiet down! You can always converse with Rebecca in the office, if you really want to…" Riza turned back into the front of her class somewhat sheepishly.

"We're going to talk at break about this, missy. Don't think he's getting out of at least some roses or something!" Rebecca promised. Riza resisted the urge to smash her head against the desk. Her _friends._

~*Break*~

"Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it-"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?" Roy roared at Maes.

"Not until you do it! Besides, you need a date for prom! My Gracia already said yes to me, so you're on your own if you want to go alone!"

"It's only February!"

"And if you don't ask her now, it's going to be the night before that you finally muster up the courage. I bet someone's even already asked her, she's pretty enough…"

"Damnit Maes, SHUT UP! You're NOT HELPING."

"Touchy, touchy. Want to see pictures of Gracia?"

"NO."

The pair were currently situated in front of Riza's house, and Roy was clutching two tickets to a ballet. He hadn't been to any dances since sixth grade after the incident. Dancing held a very, _very _bad memory attached to it. Especially ballroom.

That was what he and Riza had almost performed-a ballroom number. Then he had walked out on her, abandoning her on the night of the performance and effectively ending their friendship. He had received a serious black eye the next day, coupled with a nose that he could have sworn had broken. (It hadn't, but it had hurt like hell.)

So he was scared. Very, very scared.

**So I warn you about crack, and now it's all serious… Raurgh. Yes Word, Raurgh is a word. **

**I DID IT! HIGH FIVES! 8D XD **

…**Reviews? Remember, 100****th**** reviewer gets a cameooooooo! Or a line… Or a NAME. OvO**


	15. Well, this is cheesy

**Sooooo, here cometh the crack! WWHHEEEEE**

Kain couldn't say he was expecting a large watermelon to show up on his doorstep. Quite honestly, it was the last he expected to trip over as he rushed out the door, three-and-a-half minutes behind schedule. Thoroughly confused, he rolled the melon inside and ran off, just barely managing to catch the bus.

The incident had completely left his mind, however, when he arrived home later and found a ripe, juicy melon all cut up and ready for him to devour.

So he did. Kain ate three-quarters of the melon. (Honestly, he felt quite sick afterwards, but after eating three-quarters of a melon, he decided it was probably that and just went to lie down.)

Mei woke up the next morning to an empty guinea pig cage and a wide open window, the lacy pink curtains blowing softly in the cold winter breeze.

Fuery wasn't exactly sure how a black and white guinea pig ended up in his room.

And Sheska was hopelessly confused after watching a stumbling, glassy eyed Kain Fuery parade proudly down the street at around eleven, holding a guinea pig aloft and zigzagging from yards to sidewalks and into the center of the road.

~*Break*~

"I know it's a bit late, but I…I wanted to wish you a happy new year."

Ling looked at his tiny half-sister in shock. "H-happy new year to you too, Mei."

She looked ready to cry as she chewed her lip and casted her eyes down at her shoes (Tiny little things, black ballet flats that Ling wouldn't have been able to fit on his ear, let alone his foot.) "I also wanted to make a deal with you."

His eyebrows raised in surprise, motioning her to continue.

"I'm willing to give up my bid for the company on one condition, Ling," She watched as his mouth dropped open before smirking and continuing. "When you do gain control, I want to be in charge of the fashion and design department."

He grinned, sticking his hand out. She took it, and they shared a firm handshake. "Deal," he proclaimed as they shook. "I never cared much for all that stuff anyway."

~*Break*~

"Uh, Kain?" Sheska asked her friend in the hallway as they walked to science. "Were you…okay last night? I saw you run down my street…w-with a guinea pig…"

Kain furrowed his brow and stuck his hand in his pocket. "Was it this guinea pig? I found it in my room this morning, I think it's Xiao Mei."

The little mammal's head turned as she heard her name spoken.

"It looks like her, at least." Sheska muttered, plucking Xiao Mei out of Fuery's hand and cuddling her tenderly. "Hey, Kain, what were you doing last night?"

"I honestly don't remember…I woke up this morning with a gross headache, too." Fuery paled in realization. "I…I ate some melon that afternoon…maybe someone put something in it…"

"I bet it was aliens!" Sheska exclaimed in terror.

~*Break*~

It took three hours of constant arguing for Maes to finally realize that Roy was a very stubborn coward. It was nearly six when he finally caved to Roy's insistence, and even then it was only because he had a date with Gracia and needed to prepare himself.

Roy watched him go with a sort of annoyed pleasure. He knew the war was not over, but he had just won his first battle.

"Damn," he muttered, glancing yet again at Riza's window. Ho could see an outline moving around inside, finally settling on the bed. Drawing in a deep breath and holding it, Roy smoothed back his hair and felt it flop back in front of his eyes.

If he didn't ask soon, she was going to have plans. Knowing her, she might already have plans.

Finally, he stretched a fist towards the window and knocked loudly. He saw the figure's head snap up in alarm. A second later the window slid open, revealing an irate Riza whose hair was done up messily. She was wearing her rehearsal gear, a simple leotard and knee length skirt. Her tights were rolled up (he remembered when she had discovered tights that had holes in the feet to allow rolling up. She had bought _so. Many. Pairs. _She had also squealed so loudly that his ears had hurt for days afterward.

"Roy!" she exclaimed tiredly, somewhere between shock and amusement. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He blushed and began to stammer incoherently, holding up the two slips of paper as if they were the answer to everything. "It's…I…Well…You…Dance…Ballet…"

She examined the tickets quietly for a second. Riza's knees turned to jelly. _He was asking her to go to the ballet with him._

_One of the very things that had torn them apart._

"I…"

"It's okay if you don't want to go, I know it's really short notice. You probably have plans and-" She cut him off by reaching out and taking one of the tickets from his hand.

"Thank you, Roy," she murmured, hiding a blush. "This…is wonderful."

He beamed like a five year old, almost jumping up and down in excitement. "Really?"

She leaned out the window, balancing on her tiptoes. "Ugh, this is so cheesy…But yes, really." Riza, blushing furiously, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

His grin became even wider. "See you then, then. H-happy valentine's day, Riza."

Riza smiled herself as he began to walk away and she slid the window closed. "Yea, see you then…"

_What the hell was she going to wear?_

~*Break*~

"Damn, I hate Valentine's day…" Rebecca mumbled before class on the fateful morning. Jean Havoc, hearing her complaints, nodded in agreement.

"It's so damned cheesy. It shouldn't be legal – I'm going to barf."

"Just don't do it on me, Havoc."

"I'll do it on Maria and Denny instead. They've been sappy since I got here."

"I can't believe we're the only people in our group that don't have _someone._"

Jean looked sideways at Rebecca. "Well…"

"Oh no. Oh HELL no."

**I…I'm sorry? XDDD TADA!**


	16. A Dance

**Hey guys! :D Whazzup? **

**Terrible earthquake in Japan, geez… I'm not really religious, but stuff like this makes me pray whether I believe in God or not. **

**I'm still not sure, but if there is a God out there, I want Him to help…**

**That was deep. Whoa. **

**So, here's some fluff! :D**

Riza looked down at Black Hayate, smiled, then patted his head gently. "Did you see, Hayate?" she asked quietly, turning back to the mirror and twisting a lock of hair into the curling iron. "It's snowing."

This was her favorite way to do her hair – half pulled back in a bun, half curled, her bangs pushed gently to one side. The pearl clip she used to fasten them in place was part of a set – earrings, bracelet, necklace, and hairclip. They had been her mother's.

The dress was new. After hearing of Riza's _date _with _Roy Mustang_, Rebecca had decided in an instant that she and Riza were going dress shopping.

That was not negotiable.

"_Oh, Ri, what about this one?" _

"_Becca, that'll make me look like a whore."_

"_Damn, I guess it is a little low. This one?"_

"_No."_

"_What about this one?" _

"_No."_

"_Ri, you're absolutely impossible. This one?" Rebecca held up a black satin dress with one shoulder. It was simple and elegant, just like Riza._

"_Well, maybe."_

The black satin one was the one she had finally chosen – after four hours, Rebecca had simply thrown a handful of dresses at her best friend and growled "_Pick."_

~*Break*~

"You look like your mother, Riza. You're so much like Elizabeth." For once, Berthold was actually acknowledging his daughter and giving her a farewell kiss on the cheek. Riza didn't mention the tears in his eyes or the ones gathering in hers in fear of ruining the precious moment they rarely ever shared.

"Really, Dad?" she whispered.

Berthold smiled sadly and cupped her chin in his rough hand. "You are her very image, Riza. Now, I believe that Mustang boy is waiting, is he not?"

She shrugged on her coat and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "He's not even here yet, Dad. Late, as usual."

"If he isn't the perfect gentleman, Riza, I swear I will-"

"Dad, this is Roy. He's grown since sixth grade. You've seen the proof."

Berthold kissed his daughter on the cheek. "Yes, I have. But a father can never be too careful, especially when it comes to his only daughter."

"I know Dad. We're only going to the ballet."

His eyes filled again, and Berthold looked up at the old photos that adorned the walls. "I used to take Elizabeth to the ballet. _Swan Lake_, that one was her favorite. We must have seen _Swan Lake_ in every town we visited on our vacations."

Riza's face lit up. "We're seeing it tonight."

"I have a feeling you'll love it, Riza."

The doorbell chimed through, interrupting the soft conversation. Riza leaned on a chair for support – her knees had suddenly turned to jelly.

~*Break*~

"I'll be right back, okay, Riza?"

Riza looked up at Roy from her seat and nodded, her head turning back to the program in an attempt to calm the butterflies.

~*Break*~

Roy wasn't exactly sure what the hell this operation was thinking, allowing a teenage boy to speak on the microphone. This was a _world-famous ballet, _not some elementary recital.

But hey, he wasn't really complaining. Other than the fact that he was so nervous he felt like puking, he was totally fine.

Yea. Other than that.

Only about half the seats were full at this point – it would only get worse from here. Might as well do it now, or –

"You'll do great, you know."

Roy whirled around to face a stagehand. Her reddish-brown hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and there were pencils stuck behind her ear. Her green eyes glimmered innocently – _was she old enough to work? She didn't look older than fourteen._ "T-Thanks," he stammered, almost reaching back to scratch his head before stopping his hand in midair. Chris had spent half an hour attempting to gel it back. He wasn't about to mess that up.

The stagehand grinned. "Go on. You're lucky, you know. Most people that call in to do anything like this are turned down straight away – don't throw that piece of luck you have down the drain. I'm sure she'll say yes."

When he didn't move, she scowled and gave him a shove, pushing him on stage. "You're on, lover boy."

Someone handed him a microphone, and Roy stood there awkwardly for several seconds before finally mustering up the courage to say a word.

"Hi?" he stammered. Really, it wasn't that bad. Bright lights dimmed his view of the audience, and he was half-blinded by them anyway. "My name's Roy, and I… Wait, I have it all written down." He rummaged in a few pockets before pulling out the crumpled sheet of paper.

"I know you love dancing, Riza," he read, completely numb. "It's always been your passion. It brought us closer together, and then I used it to tear us apart. I really don't know why you forgave me, but I guess six years does sort of dull the pain."

He paused, mentally skipping over several lines. "I'm not sure if I'm early or late – at this point, probably early, I mean, it's only March, but I've been trying to find a good way to ask you since Christmas. Well, probably before Christmas, but it only entered my head that you might possibly maybe say yes at Christmas. I don't really know why they let me ask this on the mic, but… So… I… Riza Hawkeye, will you _please _go to prom with me?" He squeezed his eyes closed, bracing himself for anything.

Nothing.

A pin could have dropped – a feather could have dropped, and you would have heard every atom touch the ground. His head drooped for a second – _what had he REALLY expected? _Roy felt his face grow hot.

"You-you don't have to say yes, don't feel pressured, please. I know I'm an ass, and we really only got back on speaking terms two months ago, but..."

~*Break*~

"_So… I… Riza Hawkeye, will you __**please **__go to prom with me?" _

Shock.

Terror.

Excitement.

…Happiness?

Yes, happiness. Overwhelming joy. She barely heard the next thing he spoke, and suddenly she was clamoring past people, trying to reach the stage.

She never got there – Riza smashed into Roy about five feet in front of the stage. He blushed and turned his head, only to have it forced back up by Riza.

She pressed her lips against his, answering his pleas without a word. Roy wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling Riza closer.

A loud voice cut through.

"Well, I think they deserve a round of applause, don't you?" Roy whirled around to face the stage again. The stagehand stood there, grinning. "Now, we only have about ten minutes, so if you would all make your way back to the stage so we could start on time, it would be very appreciated. Thank you, the ballet will be starting shortly."

There was applause as Roy and Riza made their way back to their seats.

~*Break*~

Winry had two new holes in her ears.

Sure, he had gotten her earrings, but that didn't mean she had to _go to the mall and pierce her ears __**again. **_There were already too many holes in her ears, goddammit!

"You call me an idiot, but you're the idiot!" he shouted as she waved Paninya goodbye.

"I'm not an idiot, you moron! You _gave _me the earrings – I wanted to wear them!"

"That's it! That's it! Next time, you're not getting anything!"

A purse made contact with his head. Ed rubbed the lump and looked up at Winry. "What do you keep in there, your tool kit?"

She blushed and hit him again. "Maybe!"

"STOP HITTING ME!"

"NO!"

Mei leaned in towards Al as they entered the room. "It's amazing they live in the same house and not the same hospital."

Al shrugged. "It really is. She's not hitting that hard, anyway. She's really happy right now."

"Alphonse, I'm just glad I don't have to live with them. How do you manage?"

"Years and years of practice, Mei."

***cough* Well, that was sappy. Heh. And the stagehand is the wonderful EuphrasieTheOwl for being my… roughly 90****th****-103****rd**** reviewer. XD So the redhead stagehand person is her. :D**

**Cookies to reviewers! They're still warm! NOMNOM!**


	17. Prom

"What the hell do you mean, you're going to prom with Roy Mustang?"

Riza cringed at the overexcited teenage girl inches away from her face. "Becca, chill!"

"No, I'm not going to chill!" shouted her best friend, straightening up. "Damn, I feel like DANCING! This is GREAT! HALLELUJAH!"

Riza raised an eyebrow at the spectacle unfolding before her eyes. As four freshmen joined in on Rebecca's jig, Riza looked away and rubbed her forehead. Anger would have been better than this.

So.

Much.

Better.

"Ri," gasped Gracia, her eyes fixed on something moving in the hallway.

"What, Gracia? Are you going to dance too?"

"I think there's a teddy bear in the hall…and…I think it's Maes."

"What?"

"You know, Roy, I feel like dancing almost as much as Catalina. You finally picked a keeper, buddy. Congrats."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Maes, it's hard to take you seriously when you're wearing a teddy bear costume and holding a red rose in your hand with a note attached that says 'Gracia my darling, make me radiate with joy and go to prom with me'. It's really hard."

Maes removed the giant head and raised an eyebrow at his best friend. "What about this is hard to take seriously?"

"Everything. Every single thing."

"Will…Will Gracia not take me seriously?"

Maes received a prompt punch in the shoulder. "Make it convincing."

"You were always better at acting than I was, Roy…"

"Where exactly are you going with this?"

And that was how Roy Mustang ended up delivering a prom invitation to Gracia Hughes wearing a teddy bear suit.

Jean Havoc's prom date, however, was a different matter entirely. A simple bear suit would not suffice for the girl he was head over heels for, not in the least. Because when you've got your eye on Rebecca Catalina… your entire world goes to hell. Especially if she doesn't like you.

After banishing Jean to his house and bringing out sixteen different colors of paint, Roy and Maes were at a complete loss for what to do next.

"We need…brushes?"

"Got 'em."

"Water?"

"Got it."

"Food?"

"Two steps to your right."

The duo sat in silence for several minutes with dripping paintbrushes suspended in midair before finally realizing what they were missing.

"PAPER, you dumbass! We need paper!"

Thirty-four hours, seventeen dollars, six paint cans, and a huge magnitude of Cheetos later, Roy and Maes finally taped the completed banner to the ledge above the cafeteria.

"I'll grab the water guns. Fuery!"

The unfortunate young dog-lover jumped and whirled around. Roy smirked. "Release this banner when the music stops. Got it?"

"O-okay?"

Leaving an unsettled Kain behind, Roy and Maes filled their water guns, pumped them up, and broke into the cafeteria screaming their heads off and spraying what appeared to be random students. They collapsed to the ground dramatically until someone smashed play.

Then they began to dance.

And Rebecca Catalina was faced with at least twelve guys ripping off their shirts and breakdancing two feet from her nose.

As they posed, Fuery shoved the banner over the ledge, exposing the message and praying he wasn't going to get killed for whatever her was doing.

_Rebecca, stop the Havoc. Go with me to prom. –Jean_

Roy and Maes had never laughed harder as Havoc choked on his apple juice.

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, tests turned to finals, and finally it was the last tiny leap towards the end of high school. It was nothing less than prom.

"Do I look okay, Becca?" Riza asked nervously, spinning once in her dark green dress.

Rebecca examined her best friend before nodding her approval. "Hot, beautiful, and gorgeous."

"_Becca."_

"What? You can't be all three? I think you can! Wait, you ARE! HA!" Rebecca protested, pointing and waving dramatically.

Riza rolled her eyes and laughed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. Rebecca stood up, shook out her curls, and grinned. "I'm glad you wore it down."

"I am too. It looks nice down, Ri," said Gracia, her voice bright and nervous.

"I would have rather put it up, but if you really think so," Riza smoothed her hair once more, self-consciously. "What I still don't understand is Becca's absolute fascination with prom dresses when she didn't have a date until the cafeteria incident."

Rebecca blushed and glanced down at her own dress. "Not my fault no one was good enough, Ri!"

Gracia smiled. "Or than Jean Havoc didn't get the guts until Roy and Maes painted that banner at two am and choreographed the best dancers at school by shooting them down with their nerfs."

"Well, anyway, I was going to go, Jean Havoc or no, and the dress is all that matters anyway."

"You're not going to do well in the military, Becca. Why're you joining, anyway?"

Rebecca paused in her examination of the pink flower on her skirt to meet Riza's eyes. "I can do it, and I can help the country. That's all there is to it."

Riza nodded. "That's all there has to be."

Gracia bit her lip. "I think the boys are here…" she murmured.

"SHIT! NO! I'M NOT READY YET!"

"Becca, we did your makeup for an hour, your hair is done, your dress is on, your SHOES are on, you have random crap stuffed in the pocket of your wrap, and you look amazing. Why the hell aren't you ready?" argued Riza, concealing her own nerves.

"Just because I'm ready doesn't mean I'm _ready!" _yelled Rebecca, frantically spinning in circles. Gracia sighed and grabbed her wrist, snapping her out of the mild panic and leading her down the hallway.

Chris Mustang nodded her approval as the three girls emerged. "Good."

Berthold Hawkeye drained a small shot of whiskey before looking at the three teenagers. "Lovely."

"Picture time, girls!"

"We're late, you idiot, how the hell did you manage that?"

Havoc scrambled around the pigsty that was once his bedroom in a desperate search. "How did I manage to lose my pants? How the hell would I know?"

"They're YOUR pants, idiot!"

"Guys, guys, how do you think Gracia looks? Stunning? Radiant? B-"

"NOT THE TIME, MAES."

There was an irritated huff from the doorway. The three teenagers looked around towards the figure leaning in it.

"Oh. Hey Mom," Jean said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

Mrs. Havoc raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything you want to ask me, Jean?"

He swallowed before replying. "No?"

"Where are your pants, Jean? Why aren't you wearing them?"

"I…I can't find them?"

Mrs. Havoc rubbed her eyes and held out his dress pants. "If you had looked by the iron where I told you they were, Jean, you wouldn't be in this mess."

"Yes, Mom."

"What do you say, Jean?"

"You're always right?"

"That too. What else?"

"Thank you?"

His mother handed him his pants and left the room, muttering about teenagers.

"Come on, let's go. Rebecca's probably steaming mad already, and we've still got two minutes to reach the house."

"Havoc, shut up. You were the one without pants."

"And then there was that one time in ninth grade… Roy, do you remember it? I swear, our geometry teacher tried to get us together the minute we walked in the door."

Roy leaned back in his chair and smiled before mimicking the hyper tone of their geometry teacher. "Jean, please explain why heptagon MUSTANG is congruent to heptagon HAWKEYE."

Jean nearly fell out of his seat before responding, laughing his head off. "They're both as stubborn as mules and hate each other so much that they've probably fallen in love like all those cheesy movies!"

Gracia, ever the polite, lady like young woman, stifled her laughter with her napkin.

"You must have thought that I was devilishly attractive, right?" Roy prodded Riza, poking her in the arm.

Riza smirked. "No, you were a rude, loud, obnoxious, womanizing bastard who only cared about himself, and that's final."

"But you didn't say I wasn't devilishly attractive!"

It seemed that no matter the school, budget, or students attending, prom was always a dance with crowded corners, a stuffy dance floor, some girls crying, some laughing, and a whole ton of them fighting for a spot to check their makeup in the bathroom mirrors. No prom, however, was quite like this one.

"Hello, graduating class of Central High School! I come bearing gifts! They're quite tasty, you see, and I felt it only necessary for this class to get a taste of these delicious melons!"

The entire room stopped and turned towards the loud, confident voice. Roy could only choke out two words. "Principal Bradley?"

"Right as usual, Roy Mustang! Hoho, thought you got rid of me, didn't you?"

The ring of a cell phone went off suddenly, filling the eerily silent room with anti-climatic _Scooby-doo _theme songs.

A low murmur could be heard from the owner of the phone as she shut it off and it finally occurred to the entire room to call 911.

"Our ex-principal just crashed our prom. He has a sword…No, this is actually an emergency, it's King Bradley we're talking about here…Okay."

There was another long, awkward silence as Bradley unsheathed his sword and hacked up several melons with it.

"Well, glad you kids finally got this guy. He'll be locked up for a long time, and you can all say you were a part of it. How's that for a prom story?"

Hundreds of quizzical faces raised their eyebrows at the police officer.

"Ah, goodbye, my seniors! I'll be watching! _I'll always be watching." _

Bradley tapped his eye patch mysteriously before the police finally dragged him out of the room. Maes shuddered. "That guy is so weird."

"This prom is weird. Have you ever heard of a prom being crashed by a crazy ex-principal with melons?" Rebecca complained, throwing up her hands in defeat.

Riza shrugged. "No one will ever believe us, that's for sure."

"So…what now?" someone asked loudly. "We can't exactly continue on like nothing happened!"

"No clue!" Roy yelled back.

"Damn it!"

"Hey guys, they think that Principal Bradley has a ridiculously serious case of multi-personality!"

"Real scientific there."

"We're at prom! Who cares about science?"

**So I'm not dead! Sort of! My life at the moment is about 60% school, 39% jump rope, and 1% anything else, so sorry for not updating since…March? Wow. I'm a terrible person. **

**Updates will start seriously once school gets out, and I believe that the month of August will be way more free than July, and there's only one or two chapters of this left! They need to graduate, then off they go, and this story goes *poof!*! **

**On another note, I have about three handwritten pages of AVLDPC, all Al and Mei, so I'll try to type that up… Sometime before I die… and next chapter of that is the trial! **

**Reviews are always awesome, and I will hug you! No, cookies. I can't eat cookies right now. World competition diet. Enforced by my coach. She's not one to cross with that sort of thing. **


End file.
